Sympathy for the Devil
by VaBabe
Summary: Part II of a Series: Steph has left for Belize and Ranger struggles with his feelings for her as he deals with the life he's chosen for himself. Babe-fic, not Cupcake friendly, rating for language, situations and eventual smut.
1. Chapter 1

_Not mine, they belong to JE. The unfamiliar ones are my OCs. This is Part II of a Babe-fic series; not recommended for Cupcakes. Rating is for language, situations, and eventually the serious smut. Hope you enjoy! _

_Much thanks to Kashy, the super-Beta, Sue - a great friend & mentor, and to SWD - for all their help!_

CHAPTER ONE

Belize.

What the hell was Steph doing in Belize? For _six _months!

I stood staring at my couch, thinking about that night with her – remembering her moans, her taste, even her scent.

I wanted her here with me. Or at least back in Trenton, where I could keep her safe. Instead she was halfway around the world, doing God knows what. And I had no fucking clue what was going on. I didn't force her to give me the details – I couldn't ever give any to her. But that didn't stop my curiosity…

_Christ,_ I thought, _I sound just like her!_

Four months had passed since she left. Two days after our night together, I had gone on a mission to Armenia and to be honest, I was relieved to get out of town. Two days in Trenton without her and I was practically volunteering for an assignment.

I couldn't go anywhere in town without being reminded she was gone. The Bonds Office was dead. And I couldn't even bring myself to look towards that damn alley. The scanners in the Control Room were silent. No exploding cars or burning buildings for us to send the cavalry to.

Those two nights, though, were the worst. I would lie awake in bed, reliving every second of that night with Steph, growing hard just thinking about it. I was so fucking frustrated, needing to be with her again – inside her again.

Not that frustration was unusual when it came to dealing with Stephanie.

But this time, a late night visit to her apartment wasn't going to cure anything. Definitely not with her mailbox reading '_Edna Mazur_'. I shuddered at that thought.

I was practically climbing the walls at Haywood when I got the call for my assignment. It was exactly the distraction I needed…

Hard to believe that forgetting Stephanie posed more of a challenge than tracking a man over the Ararat Mountains. But there it was. Once out of Trenton, my attention was trained on the mission. My surveillance was carried out patiently, the capture executed flawlessly, and ultimately, I sent the poor bastard on to meet his maker with cold, mechanical efficiency.

But the last four months were wiped away as soon as I walked into my living room. Instantly, I remembered what and who I was trying to forget.

All the blood rushed from one head to the other when I pictured how she looked that night. Standing there proudly in her shorts and tank top, next to that goddamn plate of cookies.

I groaned out loud remembering how she took control, grinding herself against my cock, sucking on my lips and dragging her fingers through my hair…

I loved the way her hand had gripped and stroked me, how she'd wrapped her lips around me, taking me into her mouth as far as she could.

I closed my eyes, imagining her wetness on my fingers and the feel of both our hands inside her.

I licked my lips remembering her taste and felt my hard-on raging as I pictured her sucking my fingers while I did the same to hers.

And then finally, the feeling of being inside her – stretching and filling her as she rode me and came apart in my arms…

_Fuck._

I shook my wouldn't do me any good to sit around, daydreaming about her. Not when she'd be gone for another two months.

I walked into the kitchen and sat at the bar with a cup of coffee, trying to focus on the newspaper in front of me. I made it halfway down the front page before my thoughts drifted again…

_I'd _been the one left behind wanting more.

It didn't make sense. In business or pleasure, I _always_ had the position of advantage. How had Stephanie turned the tables on me?

_There's nothing she can't do._

_Dios! _My words had come back to haunt me.

This had gone on long enough, I decided. Pulling out my phone I hit the speed dial for the control room.

"Briefing in ten on Two," I barked after getting Tank on the line. I needed my focus back. Too many irons in the fire. Too many threats to monitor for me to be distracted by lust. It was time to get to work.

First and foremost, I needed a rundown of our ongoing surveillance targets – my top threats, those of my men in Trenton and each of the other RangeMan managers. Making a career out of turning in skips and handling legally gray 'projects' puts us on the bad side of more than a few criminals. I'd learned early on that it cut through a lot of bullshit if we kept one eye on these fucks after they'd been locked up – and two eyes on them once they were released.

In the few years I'd known her, Steph had acquired her own scary list – through bounty hunting, distraction jobs, and everything else she got into. In the end, it was simpler just to add her biggest threats to the list, too.

There was a time when Morelli had been on that list. Not because he was a serious threat to me or Steph. But because I'd known he was screwing around on her; I'd put together a thick stack of evidence and hoped to Christ that I never had to use it.

Fortunately, he'd fucked that up all on his own.

I almost had to laugh when I thought about their break-up. It was a harsh blow for Morelli to hear his woman crying out another man's name. And, _**fuckin' hell**_ if it didn't drive me crazy to know Stephanie was imagining me inside her all that time.

The squeaking cage across from me interrupted my thoughts and I glared at my new roommate, running on his wheel. Must be the reason I keep thinking about her. I should put one of the guys on rat-duty and give Ella a break…

I was meeting with a client after my briefing so I slipped into my dressing room and quickly changed into a black suit. I paused in the mirror, remembering Steph's glazed look the first time she saw me dressed like this. And every time since. Her reaction always made the hassle worth it. But I shrugged that thought away – I had to get control of myself or this would be the longest two months of my life.

Stopping at my desk on the fifth floor, I flipped through the towering stack of mail and paperwork that was waiting for me. A minute later, I looked up to find Tank filling the doorway.

"Glad to have you back, Rangeman."

I tipped my head in acknowledgment and made my way to the door. He paused, stepping back to let me through.

"The job went down as usual? No problems?"

I gave him a short nod as we walked down the hall.

"Heard you coulda checked out three weeks back…"

We stepped onto the elevator and I resisted rolling my eyes at the ridiculous grin splitting his face. "Made sure all the i's were dotted and t's crossed."

"Yeah, sounds like you were _very_ thorough wrapping this one up. You develop a sudden attachment to Armenia or is Trenton just missing its _usual _appeal?"

I decided the conversation was over and stared straight ahead as we waited for the elevator doors to close. But before they connected, an arm snaked out to push them apart and Santos squeezed in.

"'Sup." He tipped his head at us and took his place in the middle of the elevator. I ignored them both as Tank's grin took over his whole face.

Santos noticed my blank face and sprouted his own irritating smirk. "Soooo…Why so Plum? Oh, wait! I mean _glum_…why so glum?"

My only response was a threatening look that should've had him running upstairs to change his drawers. Instead, he had the nerve to look pleased with himself.

"You been sitting on that one this whole time, haven't you?" Tank asked. "Probably rehearsed the delivery – in fronta the mirror and everything…" Santos flipped him the bird in response.

The elevator doors thankfully slid open and I stalked off to the conference room, leaving Hekyll and Jekyll to catch up. They took their seats as I made my way to the head of the conference table. Manny, Hector, Bobby and Vince were already seated so I signaled Tank to start the meeting.

"Since your last briefing, we've had a number of take-downs, all mid-level, all successful. One in cooperation with federal agents and the TPD. We got two open searches – both mid-level. Added eight new clients, none lost. Completed full upgrades to the monitor systems, company-wide –"

"Enough," I held up my hand to stop him. "I'll read all that in the reports. I want the surveillance update."

Vince was now heading up surveillance operations, so Tank nodded for him to take over.

"Biggest potential for movement right now is Coclanis."

The mention of that name immediately focused my attention. Vince slid a few phone transcripts across the table to me. "Been more chatter about a trip. We've got our ears to the ground to pick up where and when – but nothing concrete so far."

Coclanis was a target of mine for as long as I could remember. We were both trained to kill and were heavily relied on by the government. And we were both paid well for that work. But what separated us was our moral code – Coclanis would kill his own mother if he got paid enough for it. He'd managed to cut himself free from the government and was only working on private contracts, now. The one time our paths crossed wasn't pleasant; he and I still had business to clear up.

He kept a low profile, but the potential for movement meant chances were good I could intercept him and settle our business. I held Vince's gaze for a moment to make sure he understood the importance of the next order. "I want the update the _second_ it comes in."

The remaining surveillance all showed minimal movement, so we wrapped up our meeting. Santos and I headed down to the lobby to meet our new client.

My missions had increased a lot over the last year – this last time, I was back for only ten days before being sent out again. So I'd started training the guys on more of the business; Tank was still my main back-up, but now we had Manny handling contracts, Bobby heading up communications, Vince – surveillance, Hector oversaw weapons and tech, and Santos was taking lead on all our logistics.

We met our client and took him back to the second floor to go over his security request. Since Santos was leading the meeting, I took a back seat after the formalities were done, staying tuned in with one ear while my thoughts turned to _other things…_

I'd memorized every curve of Stephanie's body and every kiss we'd ever shared – I went over these in my mind as I was half-listening in.

"Tell us about your property, sir," Santos started

"It's about five acres. I brought a diagram of the property lines, if that helps."

_Her skin was always so soft and smooth – it was like touching silk. I couldn't keep my hands off her whenever she was near me. And her hair – God, I just wanted to wrap my hands in it…_

Santos studied the diagram. "It looks like to have full surveillance we'd need to place cameras about every eighteen feet – "

"Sixteen feet," I corrected him.

_I loved pressing my face into her neck, inhaling her scent. I'd never get enough of that._

"Sixteen feet," Santos continued.

_I knew every spot on her neck that drove her wild – and the sounds she made for each one – Christ, those little noises made me crazy. _

"We would also strategically place motion sensors across the lawn – would that present a problem?"

_I remembered how her lips fit perfectly with mine. They were so soft and I loved how they looked after I'd finished with them, red and swollen, like they couldn't stand any more abuse…_

"Well, I've got a number of fruit trees spread across the property. They attract a lot of animals, which might set off any sensors pretty regularly."

…_When we kissed, her lips always moved in perfect time with mine. When my tongue filled her mouth she'd make the smallest cry in the back of her throat, like it was too much – but the way she would grab onto me told me she loved it…_

"I think we can account for size and weight with some of our sensors –" Santos explained

"And speed," I clarified.

… _God, her tongue drove me crazy every time! I could tell exactly when she let go of everything else and focused only on us. She'd kiss more aggressively, like she wanted to take charge. Like she didn't care who saw us, even if it was that damn cop…_

"And speed. Anything larger than say, a _hamster_ –," he smirked at me before continuing. "– but smaller than a person – moving at a certain speed could trigger a spotlight and then anything human size would set off a full alarm. What types of fruit trees do you grow?" Santos asked.

… _Her taste was so damn addictive. I couldn't pass it up whenever we were alone and then I'd carry it with me all day…_

"Mostly pears and peaches. I also have a couple of plum trees."

… _and I loved how her eyes looked each time we pulled apart – like she was drugged – _

"Oh, that's Mr. Manoso's favorite. He loves having a juicy Plum - isn't that right?" Santos looked at me with a grin. I glared at him until he straightened up in his chair and continued the meeting.

Fucking hell, what was wrong with me? I'd only been home for three hours and I couldn't stop thinking about her. _For Christ's sake, I'd had hundreds of women – any which way I wanted and could have hundreds more…_

But none like Stephanie…

After the meeting, I went upstairs to change into street clothes. Tank, Hector and I were headed to Stark Street to gather intel on one of the searches and as we drove out of the garage, I tried to clear my mind to avoid all thoughts about Stephanie. I failed miserably. Instead, I wondered again what the hell she was doing in Belize.

Reluctantly, I pushed her out of my thoughts. I needed to focus on the job. Regardless of what was going on in her world, I had to focus on our two takedowns. And soon I'd be planning how to take out Michael Coclanis, bodyguard to Jordan Bloom's latest CEO, Dimitry Aris.

_TBC…_


	2. Chapter 2

_Thanks for the very warm welcome back – I appreciate everyone who's been so enthusiastic about the continuation of this series! _

_Not mine, they belong to JE; the unfamiliar ones are OCs whose shelf-lives are not guaranteed! An enormous thanks to the magnificent Kashy, the ever-supportive Sue, and especially on this chapter, the resident-expert, SWD. Hope you enjoy..._

_Some terms/abbreviations to see you through…_

**'_AC' – Atlantic City_**

**'_Bratva' – Russian Mob_**

CHAPTER TWO

Stark Street hadn't changed in the time I was away.

Addicts, prostitutes and gang-bangers littered the sidewalks. Bass notes poured out of speakers and car alarms went off, unnoticed. The grittiness of the hood helped me focus on something other than Stephanie – not much in this inner circle of hell reminded me of her.

We were looking for a Meth dealer who didn't want to be found. We started using intimidation tactics on his 'associates' to get his location but so far, we'd come up empty handed. Tank tucked his .38 back in his holster as we watched the last punk we 'talked to' take off down the street – he made it three yards before breaking into a full sprint. Funny how the rest of the street cleared out when we showed up.

We walked over to a boarded up rec center. Tank and I headed inside, leaving Hector to watch the door. The floor was covered with broken crack pipes and empty 40-oz bottles – showing what sort of recreation the center was now used for. We heard a noise coming from the back of the gym and cautiously made our way over to it.

Behind the faded wooden bleachers, we found none other than our Meth dealer's girlfriend. With her lips wrapped around Anton Ward's cock. Don't think the Meth dealer would be too happy about that…

I released my safety with an audible click and leisurely leveled my gun at them. This got Ward's attention. "Yo, man – what the fuck?"

The girl's head jerked up when she realized there was an audience. She scowled at us and went back to sucking Ward off.

"I _suggest_ you get her off your dick before we do it for you," Tank growled. "And that's not going to end well for your _little _friend, there."

Ward pulled the girl up despite her protests and slipped her a small bag of meth. "Go wait outside."

Her footsteps crunched over the dirty gym floor as she left. I called Hector to tell him she was coming out so he could detain her back at Haywood and have someone drop off a car for us. If the girl didn't have our guy's location, she'd still be useful when we eventually caught up with him. Tank and I took a few steps closer to Ward once we knew she was outside.

"What the _fuck _do you pussies want?" he asked, trying to sound tough. Hard to pull off with your dick hanging out.

"I thought you knew who I am?" I asked quietly, referring to our conversation in Point Pleasant.

"Yeah, I know who the fuck you are. You that pussy that runs with that piece of snatch we almost killed."

I stared silently at Ward for several moments. Tank muttered under his breath, "Lord, please save this fool."

Ward tried to hold my gaze but broke it to look down at the floor as he swallowed noticeably.

Eventually I spoke. "Don't seem smart to talk shit about someone who mowed down all your brothers."

Ward didn't answer.

Tank spoke up, "This one's not too bright. If he was, he wouldn't be wastin' time, getting sucked off when your gun's shoved in his face. And he wouldn't think he could call us pussies and make it outta here with his dick _**not**_ shoved up his ass."

"Those were my thoughts, too," I said.

Ward was starting to sweat and shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other, gauging his chances of outrunning us. Tank took advantage of his distraction and lunged at him, grabbing him by the throat and holding him up against the wall while I kept my gun trained on him.

Once Tank had him restrained, I pulled out my Bowie knife and quickly advanced on him. I was ready to rip this jackass a new one just remembering how he and the rest of those Slayer-fucks had come after Stephanie. But instead I casually held the blade where Ward could see it, before reaching down and holding it under the base of his still exposed cock.

I fixed a blank look on him as I continued in a low voice, "You remember how this works? I ask you some questions –you tell me the right answers."

Again, Ward didn't answer. He'd gone a little pale once the knife was pressed against his dick and now he looked like he might pass out. Tank silently held him in place as I subtly increased the pressure of the blade.

"You understand?" I growled at him. The situation must've been too intense for Ward since he chose that exact moment to release his bladder. I quickly pulled my hand out of the line of fire.

"What the _**fuck!" **_Tank barked out in surprise as the front of his shirt became soaked with Ward's piss.

Tank was cursing him within an inch of his life and I warned that if he kept it up he might get another golden shower. Just then my cell buzzed and I checked the readout. The number was unfamiliar, and I wouldn't normally pick up but I hadn't forgotten about Tank harassing me this morning for staying in Armenia. The thought of him sporting Ward's piss for a few more minutes sounded like the perfect payback, so I decided to take the call.

"Yo."

"Manoso? It's Solis. I'm in AC tonight for a match."

Arnaldo Solis. We'd grown up together but I hadn't seen him in years. I kept tabs on him, though, through family so I knew he'd been pretty successful as a professional heavyweight boxer. Last I heard, he'd held the IBF Championship title for the past three years.

"You want a meeting while you're here?" I asked.

"Hoped you might show up tonight. I could use some back-up…" He sounded nervous and that immediately put me on alert.

"You need a security detail? I can bring a team."

"Not necessary, my friend. Just need a presence. Hear you're good at intimidation."

I glanced over at Tank and Ward and considered the truth of that statement. "Sounds like you got some heat. Give me some names – I'll do background – "

"Naw– ," he paused. "Like I said, not necessary… I just need someone to watch my back tonight. You in?"

His evasiveness was frustrating me. Sounded like he was in some deep shit and there wasn't much I could do without any background info…

I noticed the grip Tank had on Ward's throat – if I didn't wrap this up, we were going to be dumping off a corpse. Whatever was going on with Solis, it would be worse for him without me there.

"What time?"

"Ten. At Boardwalk Hall. Just walk in with me and hang through the fight. Then walk me back out – that should do it…"

"Ten." I confirmed before disconnecting.

I turned back to our little situation and Tank shot me a look. I shrugged a shoulder at him. "Paybacks are a bitch."

Ward decided to give us the information on our man and we eventually let him go. When we got over to the truck that'd been left for us, Tank changed into a fresh shirt, tossing the original and muttering that there wasn't enough detergent in the world to clean the piss out of it.

~oOo~

The arena at Boardwalk Hall was already packed at nine-thirty. I didn't have a good feeling about Solis' situation and without any background, I needed to take every precaution – so Tank and I both had vests and were carrying. Technically, we were supposed to check in with the event security and get clearance for our weapons. But Solis obviously didn't trust those fucks, so it was best to work around them for now.

Just before ten, we made our way back to Solis' locker room. At six foot six and over two hundred and thirty pounds, Arnaldo Solis was almost Tank's size. Impressive, since _no one_ comes close to Tank's size.

"Manoso!" Solis was getting his knuckles taped when we walked in. He jerked his chin up in greeting and sent his staff out of the room so we could talk. I sent Tank out to watch the door, hoping Solis might give me more info if we were alone.

"Thanks for coming, man – sorry 'bout the late notice."

"Tell me what shit you've stepped in." We needed to clear this up now.

He stared blankly at the floor, obviously not wanting to tell. Dealing with Steph on a regular basis had schooled me in handling avoidance and denial. I didn't waiver – we weren't leaving until I knew who was coming down on him.

After a deep sigh he started to explain. "Fuck, man. It's The Corporation."

_The Corporation. _Cuban Mafia_._ This was some shit.

"Not a good crowd to hang out with."

"Tell me 'bout it." he rolled his eyes. "Asked me to throw the fight. Offered me a shitloada money, too –," I groaned inwardly. No good was coming of this. "And I need it – had some …_expenses_ come up." I could only guess what his money problems were. It had to be serious since he made millions on every fight.

"You accept?"

He nodded. Christ. They would have him in their pocket for the rest of his career. However short that was going to be now.

"I did at first. Got half up front. But then my sister, Alicia, found out. Fuck, she gave me hell – you wouldn't believe the guilt trip she laid on me. She wouldn't let up, yammerin' on and on 'bout our parents and grandparents sacrificin' shit, our family honor…" He shook his head. "I pulled out justa shut 'er up. Returned every cent of what I'd been paid and told 'em I wasn't in on the deal no more."

Knowing The Corporation, they wouldn't take no for an answer.

Solis explained he'd gotten threatening messages at first, but ignored them – he insisted he wouldn't dive. Then the messages changed. Like they thought he'd accepted the deal again; they sent instructions on which round to go down in and how he would get paid.

"Kept tellin' 'em I wasn't in, but they'd just laugh it off and threaten me – I couldn't reason with 'em," he swallowed nervously. "I saw El Padrino out there tonight. He held up nine fingers – they want me to go down in the ninth round."

_El Padrino_. The Godfather of The Corp.

This was some _serious_ shit.

"How do you want to do this?" I asked.

He didn't have a lot of options. He could still dive, just to be safe – hope he would get paid afterwards, that his career would survive and maybe he could escape The Corp's control after tonight.

Or, he could fight it straight, most likely win the match, and live in fear of retribution indefinitely. If he chose that option, I understood it would be up to me to get him out of here alive.

"Fuck, I can beat this guy, easy – and Alicia'd never let it go if I dove. She's a fuckin' nag about this shit."

I thought about what a pain in the ass my sister Celia was – especially if she thought I was fucking up. If it were me, I'd take on The Corp, too – just to avoid her shit.

"Here it is, then. We walk in on either side of you, our presence will be obvious to anyone who's looking. You fight straight. After the match, if it goes as planned, we get out ASAP, no celebration, no press conference. Fake an injury if you have to." Tank and I could shield him easily if it came to that, but he'd still be vulnerable. We could use more men – but there wasn't enough time to get a team down here.

"You don't trust the event security. Why?" I asked him.

"They're contractors – I think some are on The Corp's payroll." No shit. It hadn't been difficult to get in undetected – anyone out there could be carrying.

Just then his people came through the door to finish getting him ready. His trainer was an elderly black man, medium height with a shiny, bald head. He seemed focused, ready to run down his list of pointers and reminders. The cut-man was another Latino – Puerto Rican, most likely. Short – no more than five-five. He eyed me suspiciously as he pulled his supplies together. There was another trainer – an assistant, white – generic European mutt.

Solis' face was drawn, reality sinking in. He hadn't wanted to tell me about his problem – in our culture it was important to be the man of the house, to take care of business yourself. Admitting his mistakes was admitting weakness and even though it had us in a fucked up place, I understood his reluctance.

He walked me to the door, slapping a hand on my shoulder as he spoke, "Thanks, Manoso. I wasted alotta time and thrown a lot away, chasing after shit that wasn't as important as I thought… This is my only shot to get my life back."

~oOo~

I waited with Tank outside the locker room while Solis was prepped by his team. As we waited, I glanced over the stats on his opponent. Solis wouldn't have any trouble beating the challenger – that much was obvious. My experience in hand-to-hand gave me a quick eye for sizing up opponents and stamina; they were pretty evenly matched in experience, but Solis had the reach along with a dangerous uppercut, giving him an edge. I turned that over in my mind before pulling out my phone and making a quick call. I put a chunk of change on the challenger going down in the sixth round and then snapped my phone shut.

Tank cut his eyes at me. "Show off."

We walked Solis into the arena and headed to our ringside seats. I scanned the crowd for anything and anybody that seemed off. Nothing stood out.

We found our seats, occupied by two blondes, mid-twenties, if that. They gave us matching flirty smiles when they saw us, tossing their hair and crossing their bare legs.

I gave them a blank stare in response – my patience was already wearing thin. Plus it was hot as fuck in the stands and we were wearing jackets to cover our vests and artillery. I was in no mood.

Tank brushed me aside, grinning at them as he held out his hand. "Ladies – thank you for keeping our seats warm. We're going to take your place now, if you don't mind." He kissed their hands as they pouted their lips at him. Fucking player, he's as bad as Santos.

The blondes moved down two seats and I took the aisle, leaving Tank as a buffer.

"Shit, Ranger – Why don't you just scare the piss outta two more people today? Don't think you've met your quota?"

"You done trying to get laid or am I doing this job on my own?" I focused on the crowd around us, trying to spot anyone who might be in The Corp.

"Fuck, just 'cause _your_ little fix flew south don't mean the rest of us have to be celibate."

I shot him a look just as one of the blondes leaned over to tap him on the knee. "'Scuse me – are you guys football players? Do you play for the Jets or the Knicks?"

"You ditz!" the other blonde smacked her friend's arm. "The Knicks aren't a football team – they're a hockey team!"

I scowled at them with irritation just before the lights went down and the emcee began announcing the fighters. The Barbies were safe from my wrath – for now.

"Ladies and Gentleman, from Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, this is your main event…"

I continued to watch the fans that trickled into our section.

"Introducing, first in the red corner, the challenger Nikolai 'Knockout' Tenyotkin, weighing in at an even two hundred and twenty pounds with twenty-six wins, two losses and seventeen knockouts," the emcee paused and the crowd cheered politely.

Tenyotkin was a tall Ukrainian – six foot four, with jet black hair, pale skin and a stare as cold as death itself. His face was badly scarred, making him look like he was straight out of the Bratva.

"…And his opponent in the blue corner, your current title holder and Heavyweight Champion for the last three years, weighing in at two hundred and thirty-three pounds with thirty-two wins, no losses and sixteen knockouts – '_The Black Shadow_', Arnaldo Solis…"

Solis was clearly the favorite and the crowd cheered wildly for him as they both came out to center ring to touch gloves. The arena lights came back up when they returned to their corners, then the bell rang and the fight began.

I left the crowd-watching to Tank, though I kept elbowing him to pay attention whenever the Doublemint Twins distracted him. I kept an eye on the match while I turned over Solis' problem in my head. Maybe I could come up with another solution for him.

For whatever reason, The Corp thought Solis was in on the deal. But he hadn't been paid. Did someone contact them and act on Solis' behalf – without either party knowing? This was the best explanation. Whoever it was had probably been paid very well – with the money The Corp thought they were giving to Solis. If that was true, whoever it was would be looking for a quick getaway at the end of tonight's match.

If I'd just gotten some names, I could've run backgrounds on these fuckers…

A few moments later the bell rang again, declaring the end of round one. Solis had connected with some solid hits, but so far Tenyotkin was holding his own. Both fighters retreated to their corners and the Ring Card Girls circled the ring in bikinis, swinging their hips and waving large 'Round 2' signs.

They weren't that eye catching – all silicon parts and spray tan. But when the curly-haired brunette in the black bikini turned her back to us, my heart rate sped up and I instantly went hard thinking about Steph.

I wished it was her. Hell, I'd give my left nut for it to be her – if it meant she was back in Jersey, with me. My fantasy was ruined, though when the brunette turned another corner, showing her profile – clearly_ not_ Stephanie.

I glanced at my watch. _Fuck. _I hadn't gone twenty minutes without thinking about her. Pathetic.

As the second round started, both fighters came out of their corners swinging. Just then I turned my head a fraction of an inch towards the aisle to find a grown up Alicia Solis glaring at me.

"Excuse me, but you're in my seat."

_TBC…_


	3. Chapter 3

_Not mine, they belong to JE; the unfamiliar ones are OCs whose shelf-lives are not guaranteed! An enormous thanks to the wonderfully dedicated Kashy; the top-nominee for Best Friend on FF: Sue; and especially on this chapter, the resident-expert, SWD. Hope you enjoy!_

Previously, in SFTD…

_As the second round started, both fighters came out of their corners swinging. Just then I turned my head a fraction of an inch towards the aisle to find a grown up Alicia Solis glaring at me. _

"_Excuse me, but you're in my seat."_

CHAPTER THREE

Alicia Solis was a foot shorter than her brother, but had the same dark hair and skin. And the same pissed off look that scared the hell out of most people.

Fortunately, I wasn't most people.

I raised an eyebrow at her in response, but didn't say anything. She didn't recognize me; not a surprise since she wasn't expecting me. I was considering whether to offer an explanation when Tank's girlfriends decided to put their two cents in.

"Nuh-uh. Don't even _THINK _about trying to move in on our territory, sister – go find your own NFL players."

"That's right – these goaltenders are _ours_. Get to steppin'!"

I scowled at Tank. That shit would've been dealt with if I'd handled it from the beginning. Just like a bunch of strays; once you fed them, you couldn't get rid of them.

"Shut it down," I growled at him. I turned back to Alicia who was still scowling at us, only now the blondes were included in the death-glare.

"Look, I'm not sure why your little group decided to crash my seats, but you all need to leave –"

"Arnaldo asked me to be here. They're squatting." I jerked my head in the direction of the blondes. She looked skeptical. "Ricardo Manoso. Our families are friends – I grew up with Arnaldo."

Her scowl lessened. Slightly.

I moved to let her by so she could evict the blondes from their seats when I noticed Tank was otherwise indisposed. He'd been pulled over one seat and the two girls were climbing on top of him like a jungle gym. He shot me a helpless look, but I didn't buy it – no one moved Tank where he didn't want to go.

Screw it, I thought. He hadn't been much help, anyway. I decided to let Alicia have his seat but when I turned back, she'd already slid into mine. The aisle seat.

I stared down at her. "Let's trade."

She scoffed.

I tried again. "I prefer the aisle."

"Get over it."

She glanced at the jacket that was stretched over my Kevlar. "You two expecting to come under some heavy fire here tonight?"

I was getting some irritated looks from the people behind me so I sat down in my _new_ seat and answered her in a low voice. "Just watching Arnaldo's back. I could do that a lot better if I had the aisle seat."

She rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "Bunch of thugs."

Her attitude didn't surprise me. I was used to being judged by my appearance – usually it made things easier. In this case, the solitude gave me the chance to work out who'd thrown Solis under the bus. We sat in silence and watched as the second round ended with a flurry of punches that had Tenyotkin back on his heels.

During the break, my girl in the black bikini came out again. And more lustful thoughts of Steph filled my head. I tried to focus – _I was on a job, for Christ's sake_.

And that's when it hit me – this was what it would be like without Steph around – permanently. Stumbling from one job to the next, hoping I could go an hour or two without thinking about her…

_No – I'd get my focus, find a way to control my thoughts. I always had before. _

My anxiety eased a little. But still, picturing my life without her made my stomach turn.

The third round started and Tenyotkin came after Solis with a series of body blows. He was trying to make up ground in the points, probably hoping to go twelve rounds and get the judges to give him the fight by decision. Hate to break it to him, but this thing was going to be over in another three rounds.

A moment later, I spotted a middle-aged Latino entering the nearby section. He was flanked by two bodyguards, had a tan complexion, graying hair and was wearing a white silk suit. _El Padrino_. The Godfather. I elbowed Tank and nodded in their direction. He dumped the two blondes into the seat next to him.

"'Bout fucking time." I hissed.

I turned to Alicia. She'd been watching El Padrino's entrance, too and from the looks of it was gearing up for a showdown.

I leaned over and whispered to her, "You need to switch seats with me." For her protection as much as her brother's.

"You're out of your mind," she answered, never taking her eyes off of the group as they moved towards their seats just across the aisle from us. She had a wild look in her eyes as she watched them. I'd seen that look before – it was the same look Stephanie got when she was about to do something crazy.

I would have to physically move her into my seat – but before I could grab her, she jumped up and stalked over to them.

Alicia had barely touched El Padrino on his elbow, to get his attention, when his men were moving to restrain her. He turned, taking in the sight of Alicia scratching and clawing to get out of their grip, before smiling down at her in response.

"Ms. Solis. As usual, it's so pleasant to see you. I see you've met Marcelo and Saoul." He signaled for them to let her go and they released her, but didn't step away. The scene had caught some attention from those seated nearby, and El Padrino smiled at the onlookers, pulling a pen out of his inside breast pocket. Still turned to the crowd, he said loudly, "An adoring fan." He looked at Alicia and asked, "Where would you like me to sign? Somewhere memorable?" He looked pointedly at her breasts as she glared back, furiously. "Perhaps not, then." He pulled her hand up and scrawled his signature across her palm, pretending to give her his autograph.

Alicia jerked her hand from his and slapped him across the face.

Not a smart move to hit a mob boss.

I jumped to my feet and was behind her in an instant, with Tank just a step behind me. The crowd was hushed around us and El Padrino was giving her a hard look. I started pulling her away by her arms but she was insistent.

She leaned in to him, hissing angrily, "No ensucie con mi familia. Permanezca lejos de Arnaldo o le mataré."

('Don't fuck with my family. Stay away from Arnaldo or I'll kill you.')

I gave Tank a look and he banded his arms around her from behind, pulling her back to our seats. I gave El Padrino my blank stare as I stood in place in front of him.

"Manoso. It's been a long time."

I nodded once.

"I never did understand why you refused to come work for me. I know you've done well for yourself, but you could easily have tripled that success – and in half the time, if you were on my payroll," he paused and gave me an assessing look. "Doesn't make good business sense to take a government leash over the freedoms of _private _business_._"

I felt my anger boil – not many people knew about my government work, which was a sore subject with me, anyway. El Padrino had to have someone in Intelligence in his pocket to get that information, and I didn't like that he'd been checking me out.

After a few seconds, I forced myself to relax, feeling the tension leave my muscles as I calmed down.

I shrugged at him in response. "All you deal in is bad business – and when you're eventually caught, all that money'll go back to the government. I look forward to you paying for my retirement."

He glared at me before signaling to his men to take their seats. They eyed me warily before sitting down.

"I suggest you keep an eye on Ms. Solis. My business partners don't take threats on my life lightly."

I ignored him and spoke in a low voice so only he could hear. "Solis isn't diving. You're going to be out some serious money when this is done."

He gave a deep bark of laughter. "He isn't stupid enough to think he'll get out of here with his life, otherwise."

"No. He was smart enough to call me, instead."

El Padrino flashed me a look of annoyance. "Your arrogance is impressive, but you two won't –"

I cut him off. I'd decided to get down to business, "I can offer you the chance to recoup your losses. And then some." This caught his attention. "Solis was set up – someone was working both sides to get to the money. I'll get your payoff back for you tonight."

"Spare me the sob story. That won't even begin to cover my stakes or the stakes of my partners. Solis better play or he won't live to – "

"He's not playing. I've got a half mil on Tenyotkin going down in the sixth. The odds pay twenty to one. You and your partners can still change your bets – since I'm sure you used _private _channels to place them. Combine my winnings with yours and you'll turn a profit." He looked skeptical, so I went in for the kill.

"I know who was playing you." His eyes went dark with fury.

I didn't actually know. But I had three more rounds to figure it out. "We do this my way, and I'll turn him over to you after the match. You continue this bullshit, and I give him a bullhorn to announce how he screwed The Corporation and El Padrino out of some serious cash."

He sighed and I knew I'd won. Having some punk bragging to the streets that he made off with The Corp's money wouldn't be good for business. After several moments, he gave me a quick nod and pulled out his cell phone to make his calls.

The fourth round was just starting when I took my seat again – the aisle seat.

Things were looking up, but my negotiating during the break meant I'd missed my Steph-look-alike. I pushed away my disappointment.

We watched as Solis backed Tenyotkin onto the ropes with several jabs to the head. Tenyotkin was struggling to block the hits and started to lean on Solis, getting him to step back. Alicia was focused on the ring, ignoring everything else around her, but her face was still red with the rage from her confrontation.

I turned my attention to Solis' crew – the two trainers and the cut-man. I started assessing body language and facial expressions. All three were shouting encouragement to Solis, but it was easy to see that the head trainer was the most enthusiastic. I tried picturing him as the traitor. It didn't feel right.

I almost laughed out loud at that. If I'd ever needed Steph's 'spidey-sense', it was now. She always got by on her incredible intuition. She had no idea how much I admired her amazing instincts, especially when it came to sizing up other people. And I not only admired those instincts, I was grateful for them – it's what made her trust me as much as she did…

Shrugging off the Stephanie thoughts, again, I focused on Solis' corner. I couldn't get a read on either the assistant trainer or the cut-man. I needed to come at this problem from another angle. I turned to Alicia and asked where Arnaldo was staying.

That got me another scowl before she finally answered, "Taj Mahal."

"Everyone else, too? His staff?" She nodded in response and turned back to the fight. The fourth round was ending as I pulled out my cell phone, hitting the speed dial for the Control Room.

"Yo, boss," Santos answered.

"Check out the Taj Mahal, reservation for Arnaldo Solis. Need to know how many rooms are booked and which names they're under." I disconnected.

I waited for Santos to call back and watched my Babe-impersonator strut across the ring. It reminded me of how Steph had walked away from me in the alley, telling me she was headed out of town. I had to hand it to her – she _never _disappoints.

Except when I realized she'd be halfway around the world for six months.

Those were three days spent with the biggest hard-on of my life. I tried to catch up with her again and prayed to God - and anyone else who'd listen - that she didn't go back to Morelli for a quickie before leaving.

That was _**our**_ unfinished business and fuck if someone else was gonna finish the job.

And we could've had several days to finish that business, instead of just one night – if Jeanne Ellen hadn't fucked it up for me. Christ, that woman was a pain in my ass. We'd been relying on her for some of our intel on Dimitry Aris and Coclonis – but lately the info had been vague and conflicted. Jeanne Ellen's interruptions – Wednesday afternoon at Steph's and that night back at Haywood, after the Stredler distraction – hadn't been worth the time.

Especially with what she'd interrupted. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat, remembering how Steph's body had felt against mine, how close I'd come each time to being inside her. The one night before she left wasn't _nearly_ enough. I closed my eyes thinking how long I'd have to wait to get that chance again.

If ever.

Fuck. I felt my muscles tighten – but then my cell phone chirped, interrupting that train of thought. Thankfully.

"Talk."

"He's got three rooms – one in his name, another under Patrick Veney and the last under David Hooks."

"Run a search on Hooks." I knew Veney was the head trainer – and it was a safe bet the Latino cut-man wasn't going by David Hooks – but we needed to be sure. I waited patiently for the results.

"M'kay. D. Hooks, born in Louisville, Kentucky – "

I cut him off, "Current occupation."

"Looks like 'Assistant Trainer to Arnaldo Solis' – No way! That's an awesome name for a boxing trainer – he should go by Lefty! Like how porn stars make their names match –" I disconnected.

Both trainers had rooms which meant the cut-man wasn't staying overnight. Most likely he was our man. I continued to watch him, looking for any tells.

The fifth round started and Tenyotkin went after Solis with another series of body blows. Solis responded with a few jabs, but ultimately Tenyotkin won the round when he landed a solid hit to Solis' left ear. The blow had Solis snapping his head back as his knees buckled. A moment later the bell rang, ending the fifth round.

I watched the Ring Card Girls come out again – but noticed with disappointment that my curly-headed brunette wasn't there. A blonde and a redhead.

_It wasn't even really her, you crazy fuck. _

Still. It showed how desperate I could get without her. Would I end up relying on look-alikes for a quickie? I felt nauseous at the thought. With my lifestyle, I didn't settle for substitutes. It was weak. And the whole point of pushing Steph away was to avoid having a weakness.

_Manoso – you are going to get over this. She is just another woman. Look around you and take your pick – what has Stephanie Plum got that any other women doesn't?_

Everything.

The sixth round started with the two fighters dancing around each other. They exchanged a couple of swings, but all were misses, no hits. I tried not to think about what was riding on this round and what could happen if things didn't go my way. I thought about Steph instead.

She _did_ have everything – everything I wanted. She was beautiful, sexy, loyal, compassionate, sexy, brave, sexy … and she never let anything bring her down.

I watched as Solis landed a serious blow to Tenyotkin's chin, knocking him back a step.

She stood up against thugs, killers, rapists – you name it, and still believed in the best of everyone.

Even me. Even after all I'd done…

_But everything has been going just fine the last two years. No need to change anything up. Steph will be back in a few weeks and it'll all be back to normal…_

Tenyotkin stood his ground again and threw a left jab to Solis' gut. I watched as Solis staggered a few steps but found his footing again.

But how long would things stay 'normal' after Steph got back? She could end up involved with someone else. Or worse – she might not come back at all - could I deal with that?

Solis came after Tenyotkin with a speedy string of hits landing on both his head and body. The flurry had Tenyotkin disoriented; he didn't know where to block and stumbled back against the ropes.

_There hasn't been a situation yet I haven't been able to deal with. There's never been an opponent I've faced that I haven't beaten. I can deal with life after Stephanie Plum, for Christ's sake._

Tenyotkin ducked under one of Solis' punches and managed to get back to center ring. As Solis followed him, Tenyotkin slammed a right hook into his left cheek. The hit sent Solis backwards against the ropes where Tenyotkin had just been pinned.

The crowd jumped to its feet as Tenyotkin threw a combination punch to Solis' head. He had his gloves up, trying to block the blows, but he was struggling. The scoreboard counted down the final twenty seconds of the sixth round. I tried not to think about what was resting on these last seconds.

Instead I pictured Stephanie – her smile and laughing eyes, which always calmed me.

And then Solis' words came back to hit me full force.

"_I wasted alotta time and thrown a lot away, chasing after shit that wasn't as important as I thought… This is my only shot to get my life back."_

Tenyotkin threw a massive punch to the head, but Solis ducked. The momentum of the throw had Tenyotkin stumbling forward, giving Solis the opening he needed to break loose. He spun around until he faced Tenyotkin, their positions reversed, and threw his deadly uppercut into the Ukrainian's chin. The hit connected loudly and Tenyotkin's eyes rolled back in his head as his legs gave way and he fell to the mat. The ref started the countdown. He got to five when the bell rang. The round ended, but if Tenyotkin didn't get up by the end of the count, it was all over.

"Eight… Nine… Ten." The ref waived his hands to show the fight had ended and the crowd erupted in cheers.

What followed was chaos. Tenyotkin's staff rushed to where he still lay on the mat. Solis' people rushed to his side, shouting congratulations and giving him water and towels. Reporters and cameramen flooded the ring as the announcer officially declared Solis the winner. Alicia was jumping up and down, shrieking in celebration. I caught Tank's eye and motioned for him to follow me to the ring. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes as he slipped his card into the hands of the two blondes and made his way out of the aisle behind me.

El Padrino gave us a short nod on our way past. I answered his nod, confirming our meeting later to turn over the cut-man and his cash. We met Solis just inside the ring, getting him and his people to follow us out.

_TBC…_


	4. Chapter 4

_Not mine, they belong to JE; the unfamiliar ones are OCs whose shelf-lives are not guaranteed! All translations are snagged off the internet and may not be perfect (or even close!). A grateful thanks to my spectacular Beta, Kashy and much appreciation to the world's greatest Plum-Fan, Sue!  
Hope you enjoy!_

**PREVIOUSLY...**

_El Padrino gave us a short nod on our way past. I answered his nod, confirming our meeting later to turn over the cut man and his cash. We met Solis just inside the ring, getting him and his people to follow us out. _

CHAPTER four

We quickly walked Solis and his staff out of the arena. Tank took point so I could keep an eye on the cut man. When we got to a corridor used for kitchen access, I quickly locked the door behind me as Tank discreetly locked the door at the other end before moving to stand in front of Solis.

Solis and his staff were watching us, trying to figure out why we were stopped.

"Su situación ha cambiado, Arnaldo," I called out to him. "El Padrino no le bascará – el está buscando el poco bastardo que robó su dinero." ('Your situation has changed, Arnaldo.'; 'El Padrino won't be looking for you – he's looking for the little bastard who stole his money.')

Veney and Hooks looked back and forth between Solis and I – trying to figure out what I was saying.

A look of fear crossed the cut man's dark face and it was all the confirmation I needed. I gave a slight nod to Tank as I moved forward, avoiding the little man's eyes. When I got within a step of him, I reached out my hands. He was distracted by trying to jump out of my reach and never saw my leg sweep out to take him down to his knees. It was a simple takedown and I had him cuffed in seconds.

Solis watched the scene with fascination and the two trainers wore matching expressions of shock. I leaned down to the cut man and whispered, "Donde está el dinero?" ('Where is the money?')

He shook his head and tried to say he didn't know what I was talking about. I hauled him up to his feet and slammed my knee into his gut. I repeated my question. He shook his head again and I pulled out my Glock. His eyes were wide with fear and sweat instantly broke out across his hairline.

"Locker room," he gasped in a thick accent. I threw him to Tank, unlocked the doors and headed towards the locker room, catching Solis up on the situation as we walked.

"El Padrino agreed to this?" he asked in disbelief after I'd explained the new deal. I shot him a look.

"Didn't have much choice, with the money that was at stake." I didn't want to get into the funds that I'd put up – it would embarrass Solis, and he'd feel indebted. Besides, while I'd told El Padrino I had half a million on the fight, I'd actually put up six-hundred thousand. The extra hundred-grand paid two mil, so I still came out ahead.

"What about him?" Solis nodded towards his cut man.

"El Padrino gets him," I answered quietly and Solis nodded in understanding.

We got to the locker room and Tank released the cuffs so the cut man could retrieve the key and open the locker. I held my gun steady on him as he moved. He pulled out a large brown case which I had Solis check. Just as he confirmed it was all there, the door to the locker room swung open and Alicia stormed in.

I kept my eyes trained on the cut man and signaled to Tank to re-cuff him.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Her voice was stiff with self-righteous anger and she moved to stand between my gun and the cut man. "Arnaldo, –"

"Leave us." I growled, side-stepping her to keep the cut man in my sight, but the split second was all he needed. Tank only had one cuff on him when the fucker reached into the locker to pull out a small Beretta and quickly aimed it at Solis. Not a smart move, since Tank and I were the ones who were armed. He got a shot off just as Tank pinned him to the floor, the tackle forcing the shot to go wild. Solis howled in pain as the bullet penetrated his leg.

Fuck.

Alicia screamed and Tank slammed the man's hand to the ground, shaking the Beretta loose. I picked it up as Tank got him recuffed. The trainers had rushed to Solis' side and were applying pressure to the wound with a wad of towels. I placed the emergency call before grabbing the case of cash and moving to stand guard outside the door.

As I waited for the emergency personnel to arrive, El Padrino and his crew strolled down the hallway towards the locker room. I handed the case of cash over to him and we made arrangements for my winnings to be transferred to him.

"You've only delivered two of the three items you promised me, Manoso. You should know by now I'm a man that doesn't like being disappointed."

"It's Solis' cut man. He got a shot off – caught Solis in the leg."

El Padrino let out a snort of laughter. "And here I was thinking of still trying to recruit you. Perhaps your reflexes aren't what they used to be?"

I ignored him. "EMTs are on their way. Your man'll be handed over to the police."

"Well, you can't win them all. Or at least that's what I hear, anyway." He gave an evil grin and I didn't doubt for a second The Corp would find a way to get to the guy, even if he was in lock-up.

~oOo~

The Atlantic City Medical Center was just a twenty minute drive from Boardwalk Hall. Tank and I made our way through the crowded lobby, ignoring the nervous looks of the emergency room staff. I found Solis' trainers waiting with Alicia and got an update on his status.

The bullet to Solis' leg had hit some tissue and bone. His wound was being drained and prepped for surgery, so I took a walk with Tank in search of coffee. As we walked, I called the Control Room and arranged for one of my men to drive down and guard Solis' room.

We had another hour's wait before he came out of surgery and was moved to his recovery room.

When we got in to see him, Solis was still a little high from the anesthesia. Alicia was sitting on the edge of his bed and he smiled when he saw us, greeting us loudly.

"Hey, itzzz Manossooo! And Taaaank! That was some craazzzy shit that went down – "

Alicia tried to quiet him down. "Arnaldo, you need to rest."

"'Lissia, you have no idea – Manoso saved my ass, got Padrino to change 'is bets." He looked up at me with blurry eyes. "How'd you know I's gonna drop the 'Krainian in the sixth, anyway?"

There was a beat of silence before Alicia whipped her head around to glare at us. "Did you fix this fight?" Her eyes were blazing again with anger. I considered ignoring her, but her gaze never wavered. Solis was right, she was relentless.

"No."

"Manoso's jus' that good, little sistah!"

She narrowed her eyes at me. "To be that good, he'd have to be El Diablo himself." She threw me an accusing look before stalking out of the room.

I moved over to Solis' bed and told him that El Padrino had received his money. I explained he'd have someone from RangeMan watching over the room until he was ready to leave town and instructed him to contact me if he had any other problems. Then we left, passing one of my guys at the door on our way out.

We were headed out the hospital's main entrance when Alicia caught up with us. I groaned inwardly, bracing for whatever shit she was going to throw our way.

"I don't know what sort of racket you've got going with The Corporation, but you keep my brother out of it," she hissed. I stared silently at her in response, which only made her more furious. "Did you think you could just come in and buy Arnaldo's loyalty, his honor? I've dealt with thugs like you before – "

"You don't know what you're talking about." I turned to leave.

"I know enough!" Her voice was raised. "I know you gave money to The Corporation, to El Padrino. And you _somehow_ knew how the fight was going to go down." She was yelling now and people were starting to stare as they passed by. I signaled for Tank to get the truck. Once he was gone, I turned back to Alicia, fixing her with a lethal stare.

"What?" she asked, raising her arms in helplessness. "You gonna have to shut me up, now? Keep me from spilling your secrets – isn't that how you thugs operate?" She was drawing too much attention, so I backed her into an alley next to the hospital entrance. A look of fear flashed across her face before her anger returned. She put her hands to my chest and shoved at me. I didn't budge.

My voice was low when I spoke. "You don't know me. Don't know anything about how I operate."

"I know enough. I know you're a _gamberro_." ('I know you're a hood.')

I gave her a blank look. Christ, she was a pain in the ass. Sure, she was attractive – in that generic way that used to turn me on.

_Before Stephanie_.

But it didn't have an effect on me anymore. _And_ she'd been a fucking pain in my ass all night.

She was working herself up into a rage. "Every day of my life I've had to fight bastardos like you – just to keep my family safe. You come in here, pretending to help Arnaldo, but you're just the same as the rest. You just want him to owe you." She looked at me accusingly. "You don't operate out of charity – you'll want to be repaid.

Fuck, she needed to be put in her place. I stepped forward, effortlessly sweeping her hands behind her back and pinning her to the wall. Her eyes widened before fixing me with another cold look.

"And what if I demand my payment from you instead of your brother?" I asked in a low voice, pretending to play the part.

Her breathing was heavy and she turned her face away. After a moment, she answered me – her voice barely above a whisper, "I'll do what I have to – to keep my family safe."

If I hadn't schooled my reactions, my face might've registered the shock I felt. That was certainly a sudden change in attitude!

I suppressed the urge to laugh out loud. Probably it was a fantasy of hers. And this holier than thou act was just her way of trying to role play. I was in no mood for her games.

I felt my stomach flip, though, just as I moved to push away from her. I'd caught a familiar scent that triggered a score of memories. Before I could stop myself, I asked, "What perfume are you wearing?"

"What?" she choked out, before realizing what I'd asked. "Oh, – it's called Dolce Vita. Why?" She looked up at me with a confused expression.

I didn't answer. Instead, I leaned in closer, letting her perfume surround me, thinking about similar moments with Stephanie. I wished it was her.

Fuck, I'd give anything for it to be her.

I rested my head on top of hers as I breathed in more of her perfume. It was the scent I found in the Bond's Office or in my car, driving back alone to Haywood. I tensed up, thinking about all those nights I wanted to take Steph back to my place, knowing the whole time she was going home to that fucking cop.

But now I knew it had been me she was thinking about when she was with him.

I ran one of my hands up and down Alicia's back, remembering all the times I'd soothed Steph with that simple gesture.

And I knew from her previous comment how easy it would be to persuade Alicia into my bed. My thoughts about Steph already had me so hard…

I inhaled deeply, imagining Steph in my arms. And in that instant I made a decision. I closed my eyes, picturing Steph's full pouty lips and brought my mouth to hers. I kissed her gently at first and then hungrily pushed my way between her lips as I pressed her back against the brick wall.

_TBC…_


	5. Chapter 5

_Not mine, they belong to JE. The unfamiliar ones are my OCs. This is Part II of a Babe-fic series; not recommended for Cupcakes. Rating is for language, situations, and eventually the serious smut. _

**_Previously, Chapter Four…._**

_I ran one of my hands up and down Alicia's back, remembering all the times I'd soothed Steph with that simple gesture._

_And I knew from her previous comment how easy it would be to persuade Alicia into my bed. My thoughts about Steph already had me so hard…_

_I inhaled deeply, imagining Steph in my arms. And in that instant I made a decision. I closed my eyes, picturing Steph's full pouty lips and brought my mouth to hers. I kissed her gently at first and then hungrily pushed my way between her lips as I pressed her back against the brick wall._

CHAPTER FIVE

Breathing in more of the perfume I'd come to love, I pushed against her and attacked her neck. Tangling my hands in her curls I listened to the sighs and moans coming from her throat. I pulled one hand away and swept it up her curves before bringing it to her perfect breasts. I sucked first at one, then the other, dragging more cries from her in response. I rolled a nipple across my tongue, loving how it swelled as I pulled and tugged at it. Eventually it was too much and I slid into her where she was already so wet for me.

I meant to go slow, to give as much as I took – but I lost control. Shoving my hands under her perfectly rounded ass I drove myself deep inside her. I increased my pace, burying my face in her neck and drowning in her scent. I came finally, her name pouring from my lips…

My legs and hips were suddenly wet and I came back to the land of consciousness, examining my situation. I was alone in my bed and covered in my own cum.

Fucking wet dream.

Again.

_And always of Stephanie. _

I groaned, looking at the mess I'd made of my sheets before dragging myself into the shower. No wonder Ella wanted to see me with someone – she was probably tired of cleaning up this shit all the time. As the shower washed away the proof of my lust for Stephanie, I thought back to the night before.

Kissing Alicia hadn't been quite what I expected. I thought if I pictured Stephanie, I'd be able to satisfy my craving. But instead, I was distracted by all the ways it felt different. Her lips weren't as full as Steph's, her taste wasn't the same, our rhythm didn't synch. In the end, I'd pulled away knowing I didn't have the skills of denial needed to pull off that fantasy.

For more than a year, now, I'd accepted that I didn't find other women as attractive as I used to. Unless they resembled Stephanie. At first, I thought maybe I was just getting older – less sexually driven. But that didn't make sense, since my libido for _Steph_ hadn't cooled at all.

But since she'd left for Belize, I was going crazy thinking about her – I couldn't stop myself from thinking how perfect she was, how much more bearable everything was when she was around. And how fucking turned on I was whenever I thought about her that if I had to wait two more goddamn months to see her I was going to explode.

_Oh wait, I did that already…_

This was new, though – this inability to focus on anything but her. She'd always been important to me. Special, even. But now – I realized – I really couldn't handle my life without her in it.

And that realization was shocking to me.

I stood under the spray for several long moments, thinking this over. But I couldn't see any way around it.

Eventually, I climbed out of the shower, got dressed and made my way down to the fifth floor to get some work done. I stopped dead in my tracks in the doorway to my office, catching sight of a large basket sitting on my desk. I looked back down the hall to see Santos casually leaning against a cubicle, covering up a smirk.

"What the fuck is on my desk, Santos?"

He strolled down the hall and pretended to look through the doorway.

"Looks like a basket."

I shot him a look.

"Explain."

His shoulders sagged as if I was ruining his fun. Well, too fucking bad – my patience was worn out.

"Our new client from yesterday – he thought you'd enjoy these." He waved a hand towards the basket. The smirk was back as I walked into my office and flipped on the lights. The basket was overflowing with shiny purplish-red plums.

I shook my head and sat down in my chair. Santos followed me over to my desk and stared down at the basket. I raised an eyebrow at him in question.

"Well, if these are in your way, I'll just drop them off in the break room." His mouth twisted into a grin. "I'm sure the guys would love to get their hands on a Plum."

"Leave. It." I ground out at him. His smile quickly faded as he ducked out of my office.

After an hour at my desk I'd made a serious dent in my stack of paperwork. That's when I felt my concentration start to drift…

I wondered if Steph had the same dilemma as me. Would she be as devastated if we were no longer in each other's lives? If not, she might just decide to stay gone permanently. Again, that thought had my blood running cold. Christ, I hated this. It made me feel so fucking vulnerable. _Weak_.

On the other hand, if she felt the same way I did, maybe she wouldn't be able to stay away. That thought made me wonder if this was just a fling for her – or something more?

I clicked on my desktop and brought up the file I'd saved months ago. _The Babe Playlist_. I'd downloaded it from her MP3 player after the Stredler distraction – when she was working up the courage to tell me how she'd called out my name in front of the cop. My eyes glazed over for a second and I was immediately hard again, just thinking about that confession.

_Not helping._

I frowned as I scrolled through the titles. Stredler was right – it was an odd compilation of songs. It should have told me how she felt. But instead, the list had everything from fairy tale devotion to deviant eroticism. It couldn't be all those things – she barely knew anything about me.

I'd made sure of that…

I opened up the audio file from Stredler's gym and fast forwarded to the point I was looking for. The bastard's voice crackled through the speakers on my desk.

"…_Hot for Teacher' – now that's an interesting choice. Is that what you like to listen to when you're feeling like a babe?"_

I could hear the distaste in Stephanie's voice when she answered him.

"_Uh, something like that." _

"_I bet I could make you feel like that."_

I clenched my fists. He was lucky he'd gotten off easy – his death wouldn't have been nearly as quick if left up to me.

"_It takes a pretty special person to make me feel like a Babe."_

At her words, my worry eased. I backed up the audio and replayed it, listening to her tone of voice and choice of words. My muscles relaxed and I felt my tension recede as I listened to that one line over and over again.

My office door suddenly burst open and Tank stormed through my doorway. He smirked as he heard the playback coming from my computer.

"Working hard?" He purposely came around and leaned on the side of my desk. I quickly tried to close down the files I had opened.

"Just purging useless files."

"Right…" He smirked at me as he reached his hand out for the basket of plums on my desk. Before he could connect, I threw my hand out to intercept and snapped his fingers backwards. Tank shrieked in pain and I heard the satisfying snap of his joints.

"_Mine!_" I glared at him. I was betting Santos had sent him in here just to yank my chain.

"Chill, man – I just like the fucking fruit!" He scowled at me before inspecting his injured hand. "Fuck! I think you broke something!"

I raised my eyebrow at him. Wuss. He was lucky I hadn't mentioned the shriek. _Yet._

He cleared his throat and got down to business. "We're having some trouble planning a takedown for tonight. Could use your expertise."

_Thank God for that distraction._ We walked out to the Control Room, where Lester, Bobby and Hal were arguing over the logistics of the takedown.

Hal was pleading his case. "I don't see why we can't just have someone announce the guy's plate number and say the owner left his headlights on. Our man comes out to check his car and we grab him. Why do we always have to go through this elaborate bullshit? We don't even have Bombshell's goodies to look at this time..."

The room grew quiet and Hal turned to find me glaring at him.

"Sorry, Boss." He shifted uncomfortably as I held his gaze.

"The goal of a distraction is to distract the target, not the team. I suggest you pull your head out your ass and figure out which side you're on." He had the good sense to look guilty. "And the headlight trick is the oldest one in the book. Anybody would see that coming a mile away."

I turned to Santos, who was managing the job. "Why aren't we running a distraction?"

He grinned goofily. "Well, gee, Boss, we can't decide which one of us gets to wear the dress." He slid a glance at Bobby. "I still say blue is your color." Bobby scowled at him and moved to punch him in the arm.

I growled at them. "Call Jeanne Ellen – she can fill in for Stephanie." Fed up with their adolescent bullshit, I turned back to my office.

"That's the thing –" Santos called after me. "Jeanne Ellen isn't in town. We haven't been able to reach her since Bombshell left."

I froze in my tracks.

"That's weird, isn't it?" Bobby asked. "I don't _**ever**_ remember not having either Bomber or Jeanne Ellen on a job…"

Stephanie and Jeanne Ellen.

"_Whatever happened to Ranger-the-Opportunist?" _

"_I'm only going to make that offer once." _

"_Did you ever make that offer to Jeanne Ellen?" _

She was pissed off when we'd had that conversation. Shit, why hadn't I noticed her suddenly bringing up Jeanne Ellen?

Idiot_. _

_Hypocrite!_

You were distracted by her 'goodies' – that's why you didn't notice…

She was changing out of her suit – I thought the suit was a strange choice and was going to ask her about it, but that plan was out the window when she was pressed against me, practically naked, kissing my neck.

What had she gotten herself into _now? _What was really going on with her trip to Belize? Had she been meeting with Jeanne Ellen? It didn't make any sense…

"Brown, get in touch with our Central American contact – have him locate Stephanie in Belize and get a satellite phone to her. I'm offline for the next hour," I announced as I rushed down to the garage.

~oOo~

I needed to do some reconnaissance on this job in Belize. It wasn't likely anyone had any hard facts about what was really going on, but I might hear something that would lead me in the right direction.

My first stop was the Bonds Office on Hamilton to find out what Steph told the girls that week leading up to her departure. I asked if they remembered her being dressed in a suit that day and who she might have been meeting with.

They had to remember. Steph in a suit is a pretty unusual event.

Connie snapped her fingers. "Oh yeah, that's when she went to see Sebring – remember, Lula? She came back afterwards, all in a tizzy. Wanted to go shoe shopping." Sebring. And Jeanne Ellen, too, probably. No good came of that meeting.

Lula nodded. "That's right – " she looked at me again. "That's when she was ignorin' your calls. She was pissed off at your fine ass – kept yelling at her phone for you to leave her alone. I told that white girl y'all two needed to work your shit out with some hot, sweaty sex." Connie's eyebrows shot up to her hairline and I suppressed a smile, imagining Steph's reaction to that suggestion.

"But _somehow_ she got the idea y'all aren't tight like that," Lula looked at me accusingly and my stomach knotted. "That's right. I'm bettin' that's all your fault."

I kept my expression blank.

"And I'm gonna tell you how I know it, too – "

"Lula – " Connie tried to stop her, but Lula wasn't having it.

"Nuh-uh. Lula's got summin' to say to this fool." She stuck her hand on her hip and glared at me. "You wanna explain to me how not a one of us is surprised to see you here, checkin' up on our girl. But if Steph knew you was askin 'bout her, she would shit a brick – "

She was right. I'd done a good job hiding my feelings from Stephanie. And from myself. But apparently that was it. Hell, even fucking _Scrog _was able to figure it out…

Lula was continuing her sermon. "...then I told my girl she needed to get some good loving before she left," she gave me a meaningful look, "or else she was gonna have to rely on them bushmen down in the jungle to satisfy her." I raised an eyebrow at her. I was pretty sure there weren't any bushmen in Central America.

"And I say if she _is_ down there getting' her groove on with some bushmen, it's your own damn fault!"

I'd heard enough. Lula wasn't saying anything I hadn't already figured out. I left the Bonds Office and headed across town to Sebring's building.

Things weren't looking too good for Steph if she'd gotten involved in some of Sebring's and Jeanne Ellen's shit. And since Sebring knew something about all this, things weren't looking up for him – not with me coming after him.

Ten minutes later, I barged into his second floor suite, giving a curt nod to his receptionist as I headed back to the private office. She called after me, trying to stop me.

As if anything could.

Putting my hand to the doorknob, I flung the office door open, banging it against the wall before slamming it shut behind me. He looked up and gave a startled yelp as I stalked over to the desk.

"Manoso – What brings you by to see me?" Sebring, as usual, was impeccably put together – suit with matching tie, hair perfectly in place. He tried to project confidence, but I could see the uneasiness in his eyes; he was upset by my visit.

Good, he should be.

And his distress confirmed my suspicions. My voice was cold and deadly as I began to interrogate him.

"Where are Stephanie and Jeanne Ellen?" Straight to the point.

There was a slight hesitation before he answered. "Jeanne Ellen is out of town, on assignment, I believe. I wasn't aware that Ms. Plum was, uh… unaccounted for. Have you tried checking with…" He trailed off when I leaned forward, placing my palms flat on his desk and pushing my face to within inches of his own.

"Where are they?"

"I, uh – I'm really not sure, you see –"

"TELL ME!" Sebring nearly jumped out of his skin as I roared at him.

He swallowed nervously as he considered what to tell me. When he finally spoke, everything came out in a nervous rush. "You're going to have to talk to Baier. He has all of the details – he's orchestrating the mission. I can't help you beyond that."

Roland Baier. Double-crossing bastard. Years ago, he'd coordinated the job that led to my run-in with Coclanis. That'd been a fucking disaster. This didn't look good at all.

I pulled out my Glock and leveled it at him.

"Shit, Manoso! Are you crazy?" He squealed in panic.

"Get Baier on the phone. Now." There was the slightest hesitation before Sebring picked up his phone and dialed Baier's number. "Speakerphone," I ordered.

Baier answered a moment later and Sebring quickly and nervously explained his situation. There was a long pause before Baier responded quietly, "Not on the phone. I can make it up there by early evening – not before. Where are we meeting?"

I cut into the conversation, "Rosolli's Salvage, on the north end of Stark."

"Six-thirty," Baier answered before disconnecting.

I strode out of Sebring's office, slamming the door behind me and catching his receptionist hurrying back to her desk. As I walked by, I grabbed the receiver from the base of her phone and pushed the button labeled as Sebring's private line. I silenced the woman with a deadly look as I listened.

"Jesus, Baier, you never told me he was going to come to me expecting answers. When were you going to tell him about this situation?" Sebring was by all definitions freaking out.

"Always expect the unexpected with Manoso." _Good advice._

Baier continued, "This doesn't change anything. I'll just be filling in the blanks for him a little ahead of schedule." he said smugly.

_Christ!_ He was up to his usual tricks and now it involved Stephanie. If she got hurt, he could consider himself as good as dead.

I sped out of Sebring's lot, heading towards Haywood but nothing about the drive stuck with me. I was too focused on what I'd learned and what Baier's involvement in this meant. _That manipulative fucker!_ He was going to wish he'd never crossed me – and if something happened to Stephanie…

_TBC…_


	6. Chapter 6

_Not mine, they belong to JE. The unfamiliar ones are my OCs. This is Part II of a Babe-fic series; not recommended for Cupcakes. Rating is for language, situations, and eventually the serious smut.  
_

**_PREVIOUSLY…_**

I sped out of Sebring's lot, heading towards Haywood but nothing about the drive stuck with me. I was too focused on what I'd learned and what Baier's involvement in this meant. _That manipulative fucker!_ He was going to wish he'd never crossed me – and if something happened to Stephanie…

**CHAPTER SIX**

As I drove across town my mind was racing, trying to come up with an explanation for why Steph had been involved in Baier's latest scheme. So far, I didn't like any of the reasons I was coming up with. I'd worked so hard to keep her out of this part of my life – to keep her safe and protected from all the sick shit I was involved in. For her to be wrapped up in some fucked up plan of Baier's now, after I'd sacrificed so much to keep her out of it… it was enough to send me into an uncontrollable rage –

My thoughts were cut off by my ringing phone just as I was about a block from Haywood.

"Yo."

"We've got a line on Machete." Tank's voice boomed through my cell.

"Who the fuck is Machete?" This shit with Stephanie was really making me lose my focus. Apparently I didn't even remember who the hell we were tracking.

"Norman "Machete" Lynch."

Norman. I racked my brain trying to get a flicker of familiarity. _Norman. _Nothing came to me.

"The Meth dealer we shook down Stark Street for yesterday – remember Ward pissing all over us?"

Oh _that _Norman. "I remember _you _getting pissed on."

"Shit. Whatever, man – we've got a takedown in twenty minutes. Broad Street."

"Roger that." I disconnected.

I pulled a 180 at the next intersection and headed towards Broad Street. _Fuck, I really didn't have time for this shit – I wanted to focus on figuring out Stephanie's situation. _

As I once again headed across town, my mind drifted to all the possibilities for why Steph was involved in one of Baier's missions. It was an unsettling mental exercise and I became more frustrated with every scenario I came up with. Was she being used in an elaborate distraction? Could she be used as bait for someone? Was she being exchanged for something that Baier wanted?

I pounded my fist against my steering wheel, enraged that I wasn't in control of what was going on. It didn't help either that I was now stuck in a bottle-neck where a fender bender was blocking two lanes of traffic. I sat in my car, fuming at _both _situations that had me feeling helpless.

Ten minutes later my cell buzzed.

"Where are you, man?" Tank asked impatiently. I gave him my status and told him to get the team ready; we'd go in as soon as I got there.

Another five minutes passed and my lane of traffic was finally easing forward. It didn't do much to help my mood.

My cell buzzed again.

"Fuck, man, I am _on _the fucking way – " I answered angrily, not bothering to check that it was Tank again.

"Ranger?" _Stephanie. _

"Babe." It was all I could manage at that moment. I didn't know why – but in that moment it was like all the tension that had built up just faded away.

"Ranger – a scary looking man just walked up and handed me this phone. Your number was programmed into it." The confusion was obvious in her voice. "Is he one of yours?"

She was still in Belize. If the phone had just been delivered, I'd have a report waiting back at the office, giving me the details of its delivery. This was a good start.

"One of my contacts delivered it. I needed to call you; wanted to be sure our connection was secure."

"Thank God," she answered with obvious relief. This pricked my interest – what was she relieved about, I wondered.

After waiting a beat we both started speaking at once.

"Are you safe?" I asked urgently.

"Is everything okay?" She sounded curious, but cautious.

She laughed lightly at our awkwardness. God, I missed her laugh…

"You first," she offered.

In that moment so many things that I wanted to tell her flashed through my brain…

_I've missed you. You're so important to me. I fucking crave you…_

"Is Jeanne Ellen with you?" I finally asked.

There was an unreadable pause on Steph's end.

_Fuck._

"At the moment, no." The change in her tone was obvious – her voice was icy; suddenly she was all business. "But I'll be sure to let her know you asked for her. I'm guessing the phone was really meant for her?" Without waiting for an answer she hung up.

"_Is Jeanne Ellen with you?" _Fucking hell. What was I thinking?! Of course she was going to take that the wrong way!

I was pissed off beyond belief and it didn't help that she'd hung up on me. The slight chance that she might call back was the only thing keeping me from hurling my phone out the window.

There was no time to process much more than that, since I was pulling up to the location on Broad Street. I met Tank at the building entrance and quickly suited up, ignoring the over-obvious glance he gave his watch. Cal was parked twenty feet away in a Bronco with the Meth Dealer's girlfriend, who we'd been keeping on ice. I sent Zero and Woody up to the third floor apartment and left Tank watching the main entrance. I headed to the back of the building to cover the back window and fire-escape.

A few moments later, Woody and Zero banged on Norman's door and waited for a response. No answer. They tried again. Eventually we heard a muffled shout from inside the apartment before the door was opened.

Five minutes later Woody and Zero were still attempting to coax Norman out of his apartment but the negotiations weren't making much progress. I was getting frustrated all over again – I hated being stuck watching the back. I knew it was important for the guys to get more experience taking lead but I was anxious to get back to Steph's situation.

Suddenly, we heard the exchange between Norman, Woody and Zero get more heated.

"Get back – or I'll blow this fuckhead away!" Norman screamed at Woody and Zero.

"Who's he threatening?" Tank asked over the radio. Fucking hell – we should've set up a video feed for this clusterfuck.

"Hostage – elderly man," Zero responded quietly.

"Thought he was alone?" I asked in disbelief. How in the **fuck** did this punk get a hostage with our guys monitoring the place?

"Think we must've missed him during our last visual," Zero explained, reluctantly. Shit – they'd done a piss-poor job on the surveillance.

"Anyone else up there you missed?" I didn't bother to keep the irritation out of my voice. Zero and Woody were gonna have a long night of debriefing and reviewing mistakes.

"Who the fuck're you talking to, asshole?" Norman asked. Zero ignored him.

"Tell him we have his girl." I ordered. We needed to get control of this situation and fast.

I stood listening to the audio feed with my hands on my hips as I glared at the ground, trying to get my frustration under control. I had to focus on this ridiculous hostage situation that Zero and Woody had gotten us in to. And to do that, I needed to shut out all the thoughts about Stephanie's life being in danger. _Down in Belize. With fucking Jeanne Ellen! And that fucking disaster of a phone call…_

"Hey, we've got someone who wants to see you – Your girl's waiting for you downstairs," Woody's voice was calm as he relayed the information to Norman. Calm was good.

"I don't have no girl. I don't give a fuck about no girl. Fuck you and fuck the girl!"

Norman was seriously testing my patience. "Have the girl call his cell."

"On it, Boss."

A moment later, we heard the buzz of Norman's cell phone.

"Fuck!" There was a series of muffled noises as Norman struggled with his hostage while retrieving his phone from wherever it was stashed. "Yeah?"

The girl's voice came through over Cal's wire. "'Chete, it's me, baby – it's Nita."

"Nita? Where are you? Are you okay?" The emotion in his voice was a complete turn around from the indifference he'd tried to pass off a few moments ago.

"I'm in a parking lot. In a big car. And I need a fix real bad – got one yesterday, but they took it before – "

"She's really outside?" Norman asked.

"Yeah – you come down with us, you can see her," Woody answered him. "But first you gotta let this guy go."

Norman thought this over for a second but unfortunately common sense didn't win out. "Fuck you – I'm not going anywhere!"

_Fucking hell, this was getting old._

"Coming up," I growled over the radio as I reached up for the fire escape. Woody and Zero kept Norman talking as I made my way up, helping to cover the noise that the rusted out piece of shit made while bearing my weight.

"You sure that's a good idea, Rangeman?" Tank asked. I knew what he was thinking – we were wrong once about how many people were in the there. Personally, I'd rather face an apartment full of these fucks than have to suffer through another second of this bullshit. I had more important things to take care of right now.

"Too late." I'd already made it up to the third floor and was silently easing my way through the window while scanning the room. All clear.

Norman was standing with his back to me, pushing his hostage's head through the barely cracked door with one hand, holding a Magnum to his temple with the other and squeezing his cell phone to his ear with his shoulder.

_Fucking amateur._ The position made it hard for Woody or Zero to get any leverage without putting the hostage in danger, but it was no match for me now that I was on the inside. I clicked my safety off as I raised my gun.

"Let the old man go."

Norman jerked his head back, dropping his phone and without realizing it – ramming the old guy's head into the door. That apparently proved to be all the old man could take – he passed out and sagged limply against Norman, who then had to compensate for the extra weight.

That almost made it too easy. With my gun still trained on his head, I reached out with my free hand and snapped his wrist, causing the Magnum to fall to the floor as he shrieked in pain. It sounded similar to the shriek Tank gave earlier.

_Maybe I'd ask later if he noticed that, too…_

Grabbing Norman by the collar, I jerked him away from the doorway. Woody and Zero caught the old man as he fell to the ground and carried him out into the hall. All the frustration from my day came rushing to the surface as I pushed Norman down to the floor. I brought his arms around his back and cuffed him, before reaching for his phone. I listened for a moment to be sure that he was still connected with the Bronco – a lot of high pitched screeching on the other end told me the line was still good. Grabbing him by the back of his hair, I yanked his head up and held the phone to his ear.

"Tell her the truth," I barked at him.

"What the fuck you talking about, man?" Wrong answer. I slammed Norman's head down to the floor, effectively smashing his nose.

"Tell her the truth. Tell her you love her."

He was too preoccupied with spitting blood out of his mouth to follow my orders quickly enough. I hauled him up by the back of his neck, slamming him against the wall and thrusting the phone back up to his ear.

"Tell her!" I ground out in a low, menacing voice.

His face was turned towards me and I could see that his eyes were wide with terror as he spoke into the phone. "Nita? I love you, baby."

"Tell her you're sorry."

"I'm sorry – I'm sorry for treating you like that. I love you, Nita."

Satisfied, I cut the phone off before tossing it to the floor. I shoved Norman towards Woody and Zero, who had returned to the doorway, both wearing stunned expressions. I took several deep breaths as I stalked out into the hall. A couple of EMTs were rushing over to the old man when I met up with Tank near the stairwell. He quirked an eyebrow at me.

I shrugged my shoulders slightly. "He was lying."

~oOo~

The emergency vehicles were already lined up outside the apartment building. The EMTs were still inside working on the old man and their ambulance stood ready to go as soon as they brought him down. Two TPD vehicles were parked next to the ambulance and Cal was showing the cops the paperwork we had on Norman.

Tank stood beside me as we watched the circus that was unfolding. "This is looking like one of Bomber's scenes."

I nodded my agreement before moving towards my car. I needed to get back to Haywood and start planning. I wanted to read that report from my Central American contact…

Just then an unmarked cop car pulled into the lot and Morelli climbed out. He quickly scanned the lot and started heading my way.

"Manoso!"

Jesus Christ on the fucking cross.

"I've been waiting four fucking months for your ass to show back up. Where the hell have you been – did you follow her to Belize to fuck her there, too?" His face was an ugly shade of red and I knew this particular conversation wouldn't end well.

"Morelli," I answered him quietly. "Didn't know I needed to report my movements to you." I cocked an eyebrow as I watched him.

"This whole thing is your fault," he growled at me. Funny, I'd been thinking the same thing since I left Sebring's office – but I knew that wasn't what Morelli was talking about.

"You moved in on me. You've been her fucking cheerleader in that asinine job of hers. And you turned her against me." He jabbed his fingers into my chest with each accusation. But I didn't budge. A few of the cops were watching us from a distance, no doubt placing bets on who the winner would be. I wondered if my odds were as good as Solis' had been the night before.

"I see how you look at her," he sneered at me and pushed me again. "You fucking stole her from me – "

That was _it_. My control had been hanging by a loose thread all day – ever since realizing I'd been unaware of Steph's circumstances for the past four fucking months! But Morelli's words finally made me snap – I'd fucking had _**enough.**_

I grabbed his arm with one hand and slammed it down on top of my free arm, locking it in a basic armbar that over-extended his elbow before twisting it behind his back. He let loose a piercing scream that put **both** Tank's and Norman's shrieks to shame.

I growled at him once I had his attention, "She wasn't _**yours**_ to steal. Hadn't been in a long time."

He struggled against me, trying to use his free hand to counter my hold, but it was useless. He wasn't going anywhere unless I let him. I threw a menacing look in the direction of the other cops – it was a recommendation that they keep their distance.

My anger was barely contained as I thought about what I wanted to say to him. I wanted him to know what an unbelievable dick he'd been. Their break-up was his own damn fault – always criticizing her, treating her like trash, cheating on her. She deserved better.

"You fucked this up all on your own, Morelli. If she was really _yours_, nothing I said or did would've meant shit to her."

When I thought about it, what surprised me the most wasn't that she'd put up with all his shit. Steph's a pretty forgiving person – God knows she's put up with plenty of crap from me.

No, what had surprised me was that despite all they'd been through – the good and the bad - there was no _permanent_ trace of him in her life – not physically, not emotionally, not spiritually… It'd amazed me that he was with her for all that time – from after our deal to my last night with her – and nothing had changed. She was exactly the same.

And that's when the truth hit me.

"She wasn't _yours_, because I never gave her back."

_Fuck._

I let go of his hand and pushed him away.

It was true – the only explanation for everything I'd felt – ever since that first night. I thought I'd pushed her away – but instead, _she'd _marked_ me_ – physically, emotionally, spiritually…

And as much as I tried, I couldn't give her back.

Morelli scowled at me as he rubbed his now free arm that'd been pinned behind him.

"You don't hang on to _casual fucks_, Manoso. 'You didn't give her back' – You keep talking like _that_ and people will start to think you're _in love_ with her."

Tell me something I don't already know.

~oOo~

After finally getting out of Norman's parking lot, we headed back to Haywood. I stewed in my office for the rest of the afternoon before meeting with Baier. Instead of wading through the day's emotional revelations, I immersed myself in my plan for getting Stephanie out of Baier's mess. It was the only way I could shake the feeling of helplessness that was overwhelming me.

Tank and I pulled up to the salvage yard twenty minutes before my meeting with Baier. Using the pass code to the security system provided by RangeMan, he opened the gate and drove the Bronco into the lot, where we waited in silence.

From our position, we had a clear view of the gate entrance and would see Baier when he pulled in. I stared through the truck window at the control room for the salvage yard car compressor. It'd been a long time since I'd seen that tiny room that protected Steph when she escaped Petiak and his flame thrower.

I shook my head at how close she'd come to death, once again. She thought we were tracking her the whole time – but instead the tracker was stuffed in a load of wash at her parents' house. I closed my eyes at the thought. Only Steph.

It was unsettling to think that now she was once again in harm's way, without us knowing where she was.

_Us_. I guess it was really just me, now that she and Morelli were done. That was hardly comforting when I had no idea who she was with or what the fuck was going on.

Brushing all that aside, I considered the man I was about to meet. I knew Baier was cold and calculating – manipulating every situation to his advantage. All traits I could identify with – but Baier was corrupt. I'd learned that lesson the hard way.

Six years back, he sent me on a job in Yemen. That's where I encountered Coclanis, a fellow mercenary. It turned out we were both sent in on the same target. When I realized the situation, I planned to back off and let Coclanis have the kill. I was arrogant, though and didn't want to leave money on the table so I tried to negotiate a fee for walking away through a contact of mine.

Unfortunately for my contact, Coclanis put a bullet through his head and that pretty much ended any hope of negotiations.

When I found my guy, there was a note in his pocket from Coclanis saying I was next. In the six years since, I'd had some close calls, but had so far out maneuvered – and _outsmarted_ him. It was only a matter of time, though – one of us was going down and I was going to make fucking sure it wasn't me.

I'd faced hell when I got back to the States – my debriefings had turned into interrogations on what'd gone wrong on the mission. Why hadn't I been the one to take out the target, what had happened with my contact – the questioning went on for days. It was like the orders issued to Coclanis never existed. And I was being blamed for everything.

Ultimately, I'd needed Baier's help to get out of that mess. And in exchange, he got me to agree to an indefinite contract with his office – a solution that worked out entirely too conveniently for him. I'd suspected a connection between Baier and Coclanis ever since.

Since then, every moment and every resource that wasn't spent on RangeMan or another mission – _or keeping Stephanie safe_ – was spent forming my plan to find Coclanis, get my answers and make both of them pay for the time and security they'd taken from me…

I was pulled from my thoughts when a pair of headlights shone into the lot and Baier's Mercedes crept through the open gate. I walked over to where he parked and waited for him to exit his vehicle. I was anxious to get the details of the job in Belize, but careful not to let my impatience show. He pulled himself out of the car wearing a look of satisfaction.

"Manoso. I understand there's some information you want from me?" The amusement was obvious in his voice. He was either fucking stupid or he liked to live dangerously.

"What's the job?"

Baier tsk'ed in response. "All in good time. We're going to talk about a few things that I need done, first."

I wasn't surprised – I knew when I set up this meeting that I'd have to pay for the intel. I waited for him to explain what had to be done to secure Steph's safety.

"We're working with someone on Dimitry Aris's payroll who's looking to get out. It's his security advisor, Parker." He gave me a menacing smile as he continued, "Stephanie's been working quite closely with him. And from the reports I've gotten, I'd say they make a good team…"

I gave Baier my blank stare, knowing he was just looking for a reaction from me. "So far, this doesn't interest me."

He shrugged lazily in response. "I imagine her connection to you will fetch a considerable price. How much do you think Coclanis would be willing to pay?" My blood ran cold at his words.

"Boss," Tank yelled at me across the parking lot. I whipped around to glare at him, annoyed at the interruption. He looked worried, though and I nodded sharply for him to continue. "Vince just reported in – Coclanis' movement has been confirmed." Well, I _had _told him I wanted the intel the second it came in…

Tank swallowed noticeably and I knew before he said the words. "He's headed to Belize."

I turned back to Baier and grabbed the collar of his jacket, throwing him back against his car.

"What have you done?" I growled at him. My hands were wrapped around his throat, making it difficult for him to breathe. Tank was suddenly behind me, pulling me off of him. I should've been grateful – we needed Baier alive at least long enough to give us more intel. But at that moment, all I wanted was to choke the fucking life out of him.

_Christ! _He'd sent Stephanie into the worst situation imaginable. I couldn't wrap my mind around how dangerous it would be once Coclanis got wind of who she was. And if I couldn't get to her in time…

Tank got us separated and walked me back a few paces, looking me in the eye and talking some sense into me. "You've got to get control, man. For Bomber, do it for Stephanie. We get our intel, and we go after her – just like always. Trust that. But right now – you've got to be in control…"

After a minute or two of deep breathing, I nodded at him, showing I was okay. I was in control. Barely.

Baier was still leaning against the car where I'd thrown him, trying to catch his breath. "I'm not that particular, Manoso. I'll work with anyone who's willing to play ball. If that's you – you give me what I'm asking for and you'll secure Stephanie's safety. I'll even throw in the opportunity to take out Coclanis. You have to agree that's more than fair."

I quickly ran through my options – If I went over his head or took off for Belize without making the deal, he'd sell out Stephanie to Coclanis before I could get to her. I felt my stomach turn at the thought of what would happen to her then – and that's before he got around to getting intel on me.

Or, I could play along with Baier, at least get down to Belize before anything happened to her. We could set her up in a safe house while I assessed the situation.

And then I could finally take out Coclanis…

Baier continued, "Parker's getting quite the pay-out from some of Aris' rivals. A hundred mil to be exact." He fixed me with a cold look of seriousness. "I want you to intercept the funds. Deliver them to me, eliminate Parker, and I'll guarantee Stephanie's safe return. Do whatever you want with Coclanis."

I stared him down, making sure he understood how serious I was. "Once this job's finished – I want my file purged; I'm out with no strings attached. Or else I make the transcript of this conversation available to your colleagues." I didn't miss the look of surprise telling me he hadn't guessed I was recording our exchange. I was tempted to remind him of his own words – _'always expect the unexpected'_ with me.

He paused before reluctantly nodding in agreement.

~oOo~

Tank and I headed back to RangeMan in silence and as we pulled into the garage, I ordered him to pull Santos and Brown into a closed door meeting so we could plan our strategy. I would leave on the next flight to Belize and have the three of them meet me down there separately; we were less conspicuous when we didn't travel together.

Four hours later, I was in the air, headed to Belize to get my Babe.

**_TBC..._**


	7. Chapter 7

_Sorry for the long delay - thank you so much for your patience! RL has been CRAZY! But here is the next installment…  
This is Part II of a Babe-fic series; not recommended for Cupcakes. Rating is for language, situations, and eventually the serious smut. Hope you enjoy! They're not mine._

CHAPTER SEVEN

Baier was as good as a dead.

I couldn't believe the dumb fuck had gotten Stephanie involved in one of his manipulative schemes. I knew he was just trying to secure my cooperation in his corrupt little plan. It was the only card he had to play – but it would be a fatal move on his part to involve Steph. I would guarantee that.

I leaned back in my seat on the plane, closing my eyes and picturing all the different ways I would make Roland Baier pay for his stupidity. I would make him suffer – there was no doubt about that. I wondered how many days I could keep him alive, secluded, in one of the holding cells in the Haywood building, while I tortured and played with him. I'd make him beg for mercy – screaming for me to take his life and relieve his pain. And only then would I back off, giving him a short breather before it would start all over again…

It was impossible for me to fully wrap my mind around the danger he'd put Steph in. Just by placing her in the position he did - any sick fuck in a cast of thousands, hanging out in Belize could come after her. She had no real training to speak of. No substantial protection – other than Jeanne Ellen – and who knew what was going between them by this point. In the time that she'd been away, Steph could've broken two dozen Jeanne Ellens. At least.

And not to mention exposing her to a predator like Coclanis.

My fingers dug into the armrests on either side of my seat as I imagined Steph as bait for that fucking maniac – and all the horrors that lay down that road. I felt my pulse pound through my neck and temples just thinking of all the time and energy I'd spent keeping her safe from my past. Only to have that stupid fuck Baier throw her right into the middle of all that shit!

Baier's recklessness was going to get someone killed and I would see him and Coclanis in hell before I let Stephanie become their collateral damage. My back teeth ground in frustration and I felt my inner rage swell – I was helpless to do anything to save her until the plane landed and my boots hit the ground.

When I glanced at my watch, it took every ounce of control not to hurl it across the cabin. _Fuck!_ Another eight hours until my ETA.

I needed to reign in my emotions. A meltdown on the plane wasn't going to help either of us.

I tried clearing my mind, picturing a blank canvas.

It didn't help.

All I saw were Baier and Coclanis – each with a sniper target over their faces.

_Think calming thoughts, Manoso. _

I imagined a lake. Calm. Peaceful. A light breeze was blowing. The sun was shining down on me. I pictured myself kneeling down at the bank, dipping my hands into the cool water.

And gripping Baier's throat as I squeezed the last fucking breath of life from his body.

_Shit. Calm, you sick fuck, calm._

I gave a small breath of resignation, knowing full well only one mental exercise had truly calmed me for the last three years.

I closed my eyes again and pictured her face. Those beautiful eyes. That effortless smile that struck me dumb – the one I fantasized was only for me. The unruly hair that I loved wrapping my hands in.

I felt the calm wash over me instantly.

But once I got going, I couldn't stop.

I pictured her glorious legs. Her sexy ass that fit perfectly in my hands. Her delicious breasts. Those candy lips…

In my mind, she was right in front of me. Sitting on her knees, facing me, like she had that last night in Trenton, before she left. Looking up at me as she slowly slid my hard cock between her lips, swirling her tongue around me as the sensations rocked my body.

I pictured her moving up from her knees, gliding over me as she skimmed her naked body against mine. I felt her tightly budded nipples rolling over my thighs and up my abdomen until they rested against my chest. I imagined her wrapping her arms around my neck, pressing her palm to the back of my head just as she pushed her lips against mine.

I could almost feel the wetness between her legs. The urgency of needing to be inside her was unbelievably real. I could just imagine pushing my tip into her entrance, feeling every fold of her suck me in, gripping me tightly –

"Mr. Manoso, can I get you anything – a beverage or something to eat?"

The stewardess' voice broke into my fantasy, making me feel like a teenager who'd been caught looking up porn. I slowly opened my eyes, ready to give her a look that showed _exactly_ what I thought of the interruption. The look I had ready froze on my face though when I saw hers.

Startling blue eyes, wild curly hair, full lips…

The word _Babe_ was on the tip of my tongue as I stared at her in confusion. She stared back at me, equally confused.

"Mr. Manoso – is there something I can get for you?" she asked again with some impatience, before shifting her position slightly. The movement was all that was needed.

The overhead spotlight shone directly on her face and I could see now that her hair was auburn instead of dark brown. Her eyes were that near-fluorescent shade of blue that was a dead give-away for colored contacts. Her lips were clearly pumped full of collagen. _Not Babe…_

"No thank you." I tightly answered. I rubbed my hands over my face and resisted the urge to glance at my watch one more time. That would only set me off again and I wasn't sure I could handle another session of Stephanie-fantasy to calm me back down.

I focused my attention to the seat-back in front of me, trying to hold onto the little bit of calm that stayed with me. I ran through a series of mental exercises, trying to clear my head. After another twenty minutes of non-violent thoughts – and non-_Stephanie_ thoughts, I rewarded myself with a few minutes of _"Imagine if…"_

I've never told her – but one of my favorite time-killers was to imagine what things would be like with Stephanie… on a permanent basis. It was a guilty pleasure – one I only brought out in times of serious need.

I let my mind wander and pictured what it would be like if Stephanie moved in with me. I wanted to smile at the thought of waking up with her every morning. It wasn't that much of a stretch – we'd shared space before. Jesus, that first night alone afterwards was unbearable. I remembered rolling over to my side and missing how her body had curved into mine as she lay pressed against me. I loved waking up and seeing her beautiful face as she slept on beside me. Her lips were full and pouty – seductive - as her mouth relaxed in sleep. Her cheeks were slightly flushed with the warmth from the bed. Her face was innocent and peaceful.

I could see her face just as plain and clear as if it was right in front of me, that very second. Even picturing it right then, I felt protective of her.

I shook my head, trying to clear the image, needing to come back to reality. _Get a grip, Manoso – you've got to treat this like any other job._

But the image was still there.

I rubbed my eyes, then blinked them open.

Still there.

_What the fuck?_

I reached out and my fingers brushed against the in-flight magazine tucked in the back of the seat in front of me. I pulled it out of the seat pocket and examined it closely.

It was an advertisement for "Belize's Hottest Night Club". And it had Stephanie's face plastered right in the middle.

I flipped the magazine over – the whole thing was about Belize.

I turned back and took in the image.

It was a black and white close-up of someone who looked incredibly like Stephanie. It wasn't exact. The hair was streaked with highlights, and lay wet and plastered, hiding most of her face. Her eyelids were lowered so I couldn't tell if the eyes matched or not. Though the sexy eyelashes were very close. The lips were uncanny – full, slightly parted, sexy as hell. Droplets of water – or sweat - ran down her neck and collarbone, into the cleavage of a white, open-buttoned shirt. Right where I would imagine Steph's incredible aureoles was the phrase, "Viva La Revolutione!" in red script.

I stared at the photo for what seemed like hours. Was my mind playing tricks on me again? The face was _similar_, but not exact. The woman's cheeks were slightly sunken, less rounded from how Steph normally looked. There was the same look of innocence – but instead of how it normally radiated out of Stephanie, it seemed superficial on this woman.

What was the likelihood that it would be her? She's down in Belize, chasing after a bogus assignment, dealing with Jeanne Ellen and God-knows who else… And she makes time for a photo-shoot? _Get real, Manoso. _Even on Steph's craziest of days, this one would be hard to pull off.

I glanced skeptically at the photo again, convinced now that it wasn't her. The woman in this photo seemed more experienced - a lifetime older than Steph.

I replaced the magazine in its pocket and started to run through my strategies for how to locate and save Stephanie once I landed. Somehow, having the picture of Steph's double in front of me worked to keep me calm and focused. I ran through the standard process for each phase of my strategy: Identify a goal – reaching this is the next step. Establish a primary path to the goal. Analyze the variables. Create alternate routes for each variable. Move on to the next step.

Before I realized it, the planes wheels were touching down on the tarmac. My fingers itched to release my seatbelt once the cabin lights indicated it was safe to do so. I was calm, and focused, and I had a plan of action. As the cabin lights flashed, I unbuckled my belt and stood to leave. Before stepping into the aisle, though, I reached down for the in-flight magazine, and tore off the last page, folding and tucking Steph's twin into my pocket.

_TBC…_


	8. Chapter 8

_Thanks for the patience and for welcoming me back so sincerly! The encouragement is MUCH appreciated!  
__Not mine, they belong to JE. The unfamiliar ones are my OCs. This is Part II of a Babe-fic series; not recommended for Cupcakes. Rating is for language, situations, and eventually the serious smut.  
__Much thanks to Patsy for the inspiration of the fire-alarm!_

CHAPTER EIGHT

"What the _fuck_ do you mean, 'she's missing'?"

I felt like screaming.  
I felt like blowing this shitty country off the goddamned map.  
I felt like putting a bullet through the skull of my Central American contact as he stood in front of me, trying to explain how in the hell he'd managed to lose Steph.

It was late afternoon in Belize City. My contact, Massa, and I were standing in the parking lot of the Office of Tourism where Stephanie's "undercover assignment" had supposedly been set-up. Most of the offices had closed up so the lot was practically deserted. The streets surrounding the building were empty, too. It was mostly silent with the exception of traffic and the open markets a few streets over.

"You were with her not even twenty-four fucking hours ago. Your instructions were clear: Locate. Deliver. Monitor. What part of that did you _NOT_ fucking understand?" I glared at the man.

The bastard was like a fucking robot - he just stood there staring back at me blankly. Not that blank face that meant he was covering up whatever the fuck he was thinking. It was that damned shit-for-brains blank look that meant nothing was going on inside. The lights were on but no one was fucking home…

I stood with my hands on my hips, trying to hold in my rage and frustration. The calm state of control I worked so hard to reach on the plane had vanished completely. I continued to glare at him, waiting for the explanation of how this situation had gotten fucked up so quickly.

Massa was about five-eleven with dark hair and dark features that allowed him to float in and out of any group in the region. He spoke a dozen or more different dialects – the primary reason he was employed by Intelligence. He could blend into any situation down here – affluent businessman, drug peddler, gang member, local fisherman – and then be just as easily forgotten.

"There was …an incident." He averted his eyes briefly.

I raised an eyebrow at him. "An _incident_?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Explain."

There was a long pause and he seemed to be struggling to find the right words to describe whatever had happened.  
Meanwhile,_ I _struggled to keep from skull-dragging his ass from one end of the lot to the other.

"I located Ms. Plum in the lobby," he shrugged in the direction of the building behind us, to show he meant the lobby to the Office of Tourism. I nodded once for him to continue.

"Once I confirmed her identity, I delivered the phone, as you instructed."

So far he was two for three for his assignment. But the most important part – to me at least – was the one he'd fucked up. And that was unacceptable. Failure to protect Stephanie was never an acceptable outcome.

My patience was fading quickly. "What about the _incident_?"

"I'm getting to that."

I resisted the urge to roll my eyes – apparently this fuck thought it was story-time. He didn't catch the pained look of frustration on my face – either that or he was too dumb to care – and went on to describe his _incident._

"She completed her call – it ended abruptly, I think," he looked at me for confirmation. I stared back at him blankly – I wasn't about to revisit that fiasco. I shrugged my shoulders as if I had no idea what he was talking about.

"Anyway," he continued, "when she finished her call I was getting ready to ask if she needed any assistance. But before I could ask, the fire alarm for the entire building went off."

I looked over his shoulder at the building. It was five stories high. I'd guess it was about seventy yards long and another fifty yards wide.

"Let me make sure I get this right. You lost Ms. Plum in a fire drill – for a building that has maybe five hundred employees working there?" I asked skeptically.

Massa looked even more uncomfortable than before. "Well, there was a large group of soccer players – they're being hosted here this week."

If I wasn't trying to locate what was most important in the world to me right then, I might have found that scenario funny. Instead, I was in disbelief.

"Soccer players." I looked at him questioningly.

"Yes. Soccer players. High School age, I think. There were hundreds of them – they came into the lobby just before the alarm was triggered. Between that group coming in and all the employees exiting the building, it was chaos. I lost her in the crowd and haven't been able to track her down since."

Soccer players. And a fire drill. I shook my head. _It could only happen to Stephanie._

I rubbed my hands over my face, trying to clear my thoughts. Steph vanishing without a trace changed things somewhat for me.

"What have you been able to find out since?" I didn't hold out much hope.

"Haven't located a residence. It's not on file. Wherever they're keeping her hid, it's real undercover."

I nodded at that. It was a good sign – if she had a residence that _we _couldn't find, she hopefully had a safe place to hide out where Coclanis couldn't find her either.

"I came back here earlier today – hoping to run into her here. But I also asked around about her – to see what other people might know. Turns out nobody knows her." That caught my attention immediately. Stephanie didn't go anywhere without drawing attention to herself. She couldn't even carry a goddamned cooler through the mall without bringing out a fucking SWAT team of security.

"What do you mean, nobody knows her?"

"Staff say she hasn't shown up here since her first day. They didn't even know about her being here yesterday."

_That didn't make any sense at all. _

"I've got security video of the mess yesterday, if you want to look at it."

I nodded my consent. Massa reached into his laptop bag and pulled out a portable DVD player. Flipping it open, he inserted an unmarked DVD. I pushed the ear plugs into my ears to get the audio.

The lobby was about thirty feet by thirty feet, with a large desk banked in the middle. A few people were moving around, waiting for elevators, walking in and out of restrooms and stairwells. To the left of the screen, a small group of teenagers in brightly colored shirts and black soccer shorts strolled in, laughing and joking around with each other. Massa could be seen about fifteen feet from them, standing just to the side of the reception desk, watching the elevators.

A few moments later, Stephanie crashed through a stairwell door – practically knocking out a businessman on the other side of the door as she burst into the lobby.

I felt a strange electricity pass through me when I saw her.

I was used to feeling something pass between us when we were in the same room – but this was different. It was exhilarating to see her after so long – but I was also apprehensive about her safety and was _extremely _anxious to locate her. Extremely. Anxious.

Stephanie looked amazing. Her cheeks were flushed with whatever excitement had her hurrying through the building. Her hair was a wild mess. She was wearing a v-neck navy blue t-shirt that hugged her breasts and a pair of super-short shorts that showed off her incredible legs.

She rushed through the lobby and tried to push past Massa who had stepped in front of her, interrupting her path to the door. They had a brief conversation, which couldn't be heard over the noise of the lobby, but Steph was facing the surveillance camera so I tried to read her reactions.

At first she looked wary and a little startled. There was a moment when Massa handed her the secure phone – and I could practically see the mental wheels turning as she tried to decipher who exactly had orchestrated this meeting. I saw the exact moment when she convinced herself it was me – her features relaxed noticeably, her lips curved into a slight smile and it almost looked like a weight was lifted off of her shoulders.

Our exchange on the phone unfolded on the security footage like a silent movie. I was glad the audio didn't pick that up either, since I had no desire to relive the end of that conversation, especially in front of Massa.

All during our conversation more and more teenagers poured into the lobby. Massa hadn't been exaggerating. By the time Stephanie angrily punched the button to disconnect the call, there were easily a hundred and fifty kids crowded into the lobby. Steph and Massa had been practically pushed up against the reception desk.

Just as Steph had been ready to hand the secure phone over to Massa, the building's fire alarm sounded. Massa immediately began scanning the crowd that was now packed into the lobby, looking for possible security threats. The PA system, which must have had a speaker located right next to the video camera, announced in a mechanical voice that all occupants of the building should calmly head to the nearest exit and that employees should follow standard disaster readiness procedures, once outdoors.

Scores of employees began flooding into the lobby, trying to navigate through the crowds of teenage soccer players. It immediately became a gridlock. Except for Steph, who managed to maneuver herself through the crowd of teenagers and push through the main entrance. By that time, Massa, with his bulkiness, was still stuck – pinned against the reception desk.

I replayed the DVD a few more times, trying to capture any detail that might offer a clue. There wasn't much to go on at all.

After the third pass through footage, though, I caught it.

"She was expecting it."

"What's that?" Massa asked.

"The alarm. Watch." I backed the DVD up to where she ended our call. The alarm sounded and seveal people around her jumped, startled by the noice. "She doesn't react to the alarm – she was expecting it."

What did _that_ mean, though? Did she know that Massa would be waiting for her and that she'd need a distraction? But she didn't recognize him or know he was connected to me – in fact, she'd been almost relieved to find out he was sent there by _me._

I had a thought then.

"I need to get into that building."

Massa looked at me in surprise. "What? Why?"

'There's more footage. I want to see what we're missing from _before_ – who did she walk in with? Who did she talk to before this point? And I want to see her work-space. There had to be something there she came back for."

~oOo~

After exercising my lock-picking skills on a door we determined wasn't connected to the main alarm system, we found our way to the cramped security office on the first floor. I was relieved that the building wasn't manually monitored at night. A third rate security system hooked up to a few main entrances was all that protected this building and its contents from someone intent on getting in. Though, admittedly, even a top-rate system wouldn't have kept me out - not if it meant getting answers on Stephanie's location. Hell – if it was necessary to find Steph, I'd have found a way to break into Fort Knox…

I located the security footage from yesterday and sent up a quick thank you to whoever that it hadn't been taped over, yet. I popped the disk into the drive of a PC that was left idle on the desk in front of us. I skipped through the footage recorded that morning and managed to stop it when I saw Massa step into the lobby. Using that as a frame of reference, I backed it up about twenty minutes and hit play.

My eyes were glued to the screen searching for the point when Stephanie entered the building. It was a few minutes later when she stepped into the lobby. There was another man with her and I felt an instant stab of jealousy that I struggled to push away. He was around the same height as Steph, maybe an inch or two taller. He looked like he was in his late thirties, a little soft around the middle, with seriously thinning hair. Not any serious competition, I thought smugly.

He spoke quickly in her ear as he gripped her elbow and steered her to the far corner of the lobby. It looked like he was going over instructions and every now and then she would nod in understanding.

So far, I wasn't getting much intel.

Then, just as they were about to separate, he pulled her close to him, bent his head towards hers and kissed her. Passionately.

I felt like I'd been sucker-punched and I gripped the edge of the desk to steady myself.

_Why was he kissing her? And more importantly why the fuck was she kissing him back?_

"They make a good couple, don't they, Manoso?"

I whipped around, startled by the voice that suddenly came from the doorway behind me – it was Jeanne Ellen.

_TBC…_


	9. Chapter 9

_Not mine, they belong to JE. The unfamiliar ones are my OCs. This is Part II of a Babe-fic series; not recommended for Cupcakes (or Creampuffs). Rating is for language, situations, and eventually the serious smut. _

CHAPTER NINE

Jeanne Ellen Burrows was leaning against the doorway looking as harmless as an Ebola virus. She was dressed as a jogger, in a black tank-top, black biker shorts and a lightweight, black hooded jacket.

She was the last person on earth I wanted to see.

Massa looked irritated at being caught unaware. "Just where the fuck did you come from?"

Jeanne Ellen gave him a patient look. "I've been monitoring you two for the last hour. You're both lucky I had your backs covered. Your Situational Awareness obviously needs a little fine-tuning." She turned to me with a smirk on her face. "Lose something?"

I didn't answer her and I was keeping my expression blank. I knew from experience that Jeanne Ellen's MO was to say anything to get a reaction; it was her way of distracting people and keeping them off balance. The only way to keep _her _off balance was to not let it work. I'd tried to get Stephanie to understand this – but instead, she let Jeanne Ellen play her like a violin.

But I also knew Jeanne Ellen's true motivation for why she treated Stephanie the way she did. And _that_ was something I was leaving between Jeanne Ellen and Stephanie.

"You have some business to conduct here, this time of day?" I asked her.

She narrowed her eyes at me before abruptly spinning on her heel and leaving the room.

Must have hit a nerve. _Interesting._

I followed her out of the security office to the lobby elevators. Massa was close on my heels. Without turning around, I instructed him to go back and start scanning the rest of the security footage for Stephanie or _her friend._ I swear I heard him give a sigh of disappointment before heading back.

I stepped into the elevator and watched Jeanne Ellen punch the button for the fourth floor. I casually leaned against one of the back corners and folded my arms across my chest, studying her as she tried to ignore me. Under the lights of the elevator car, I noticed what I'd missed before. She looked tired and more than a little stressed. She had fine lines around her eyes that hadn't been there months ago. I noticed something else strange too. She was pale. She'd been living under a tropical sun for the last four months. But she was as white as everyone else back in Trenton.

She continued to ignore me as the doors opened up on the fourth floor and she stepped into the hallway. We hung a left and headed into a small suite of offices at the end of the corridor. The suite had a conservative, functional décor. Nothing remarkable. We stopped in front of an office door with a piece of paper taped over the nameplate. The paper had "Stephanie Plum, Intern" typed across it in bold, black ink.

Jeanne Ellen reached inside her jacket and pulled out a magnetic card on a retractable cord, using it to swipe through the card reader that would unlock the door. The card reader flashed twice before a mechanical click sounded, indicating the door was unlocked. We stepped through the doorway into a square windowless office that looked more like a records storage room. She flipped on the overhead lights and I saw where Bankers Boxes of files were stacked four feet tall around the room, with additional boxes and files scattered around with piles of papers lying haphazardly on top. I couldn't resist the urge to push Jeanne Ellen's buttons.

"Looks like your filing system could use _a little fine tuning_." I threw her words back at her. She looked up at me sharply from behind the desk that was centered in the middle of the room, before turning back to whatever she was doing.

She pulled the desk chair behind her closer to the desk and sat down, then switched on the PC and waited for it to power up before logging in. I slowly walked around the room looking at the open files that were resting on box-tops. Each file had a common print-out titled "Visitor Profile". Some of the profiles had familiar names - politicians, celebrities, athletes – some American, some international. I continued to move slowly around the room, glancing at papers and files, until I was standing directly behind Jeanne Ellen. She had a stack of files on one side of her desk, with the top folder opened up to that particular visitor profile. The screen open on her computer was an archaic-looking DOS-based system with a black background and green characters. Jeanne Ellen was glancing back and forth between the file and the screen, keying in information. She was doing data-entry.

_What the fuck was going on?_

My mind raced through the possibilities. Only one made sense.

I suspected that for whatever reason, Jeanne Ellen was having to do Stephanie's "undercover assignment" for her. That didn't sit well with me at all - what did that mean Stephanie was doing? I wanted to start getting answers. I leaned forward with my hands on the edge of the desk and held my mouth right at her ear.

"Are you seeing much _action_ on this assignment, Agent Burrows?" She didn't answer me, but the muscle ticking in her jaw told me I'd hit gold. So I pressed my luck. "It's good to see your considerable skills are being put to good use down here." She continued to ignore me, keeping her scowl trained on the computer screen.

I moved my hand slowly, without her noticing, until I was almost in reach of the magnetic card inside her jacket. "Tell me, how do you like being a desk jockey?"

She spun around with a look of fury fixed on her face. My hand connected with the ID badge and I yanked the card from its clip as I stepped back from her. She scrambled to her feet trying to tackle me to get to it, but I wrapped my hand around the point where her shoulder, neck and collarbone met, using my grip to hold her at arms' distance. I held the ID badge up to read the vitals.

It had Jeanne Ellen's picture on it with the name "PLUM, STEPHANIE M." typed underneath.

"Where is she?" My voice was deadly. For her sake, I hoped she cooperated with me. I was fed up with the mystery.

"She's safe," she answered softly.

"WHERE IS SHE?" I roared at her. Jeanne Ellen jumped in fear, startled by my ferocity. She didn't answer me, though.

I threw the ID card onto the desk before reaching behind me and pulling my glock out. I held it to her chin.

"This is the last time I'm going to ask you this. Where is she?" Her eyes grew huge as she stared back at me.

"I'll take you to her. But you're not going to like what you find out."

~oOo~

We left Massa reviewing months of footage in the security office. He stared adoringly at Jeanne Ellen as I gave him instructions to copy anything of interest to CD for me. _That was a quick turn-around in attitude,_ I thought.

We made plans to meet up later that night. I half expected him to ask if Jeanne Ellen would be there, too. As usual, she ignored the infatuation.

We took a fifteen minute cab-ride to a luxury Oceanside resort. The sun was just setting and the resort was busy with couples and groups dressed for a night out. Jeanne Ellen led us up the veranda and into the crowded lobby entrance. We moved into a circular lounge in the center of the lobby, with dim lights hanging from the domed ceiling and plush, overstuffed couches lining the walls. There were four arches that led to different areas of the resort and Jeanne Ellen chose one leading to a tunnel-style corridor that eventually opened up into another dimly lit lounge, this one with a large oak bar in the center and a dining room off to the left.

Jeanne Ellen and I stood just inside the doorway. She was scanning the faces of people seated at the bar, which was only half full, with thirty- and forty-somethings sharing drinks, chatting and flirting. It was a relaxed atmosphere – everyone here was on vacation, having fun. I started scanning faces, too. Until I saw the only one that mattered.

She was seated on the right side of the rectangular bar, next to the man from the security video. They were talking in low voices as she played with the glass of wine in front of her. Just her profile took my breath away. Her hair was sun-streaked, falling in soft curls around her face and down her back. Her lashes were lowered, practically resting on her cheeks and somehow making her veiled eyes that much more beautiful. Her face was slightly flushed – probably from her wine. Her lips looked delicious – I wanted to devour them. She was tanned and gorgeous, wearing a royal blue off-the-shoulder dress that showed off her neck, her shoulders, her breasts, hell – it showed off all of her. She looked absolutely incredible.

Jeanne Ellen spotted her an instant after I did and slinked over to where she was seated, wrapping her fingers around my arm in the process.

Before we approached her, Stephanie turned and looked directly up at me, a look of surprise already on her face.

"_Ranger_," she mouthed my name soundlessly.

"_Babe_," I echoed.

Her expression was unreadable. The putz next to her had his arm draped around her shoulders and he pulled her closer to him possessively, making a big show of tracing his fingers over the bare skin of her back and neck.

"Thanks for the _great_ work-out, Ranger," Jeanne Ellen turned to me, smiling sadistically. "Whew! You really know how to make a girl work up a sweat!" She was clinging to my arm with one hand and pretending to wipe sweat from her forehead with the other. "You know, I am SO relaxed right now. Mmmmmm, you really helped take away _all_ of my tension!" She turned into me and rested her head and hand on my chest sleepily.

I scowled down at her and tried to shrug her away from me but she wouldn't budge. I was about to announce that I didn't know what the fuck Jeanne Ellen was talking about when that creep next to Stephanie decided to open his ugly mouth and put his two cents in.

"You had that same reaction this morning, didn't you dear?"

Stephanie's head snapped around and a look of absolute mortification was on her face as she stared back at him. No one said anything for a few seconds.

"Don't be shy about it, Creampuff - you certainly weren't shy about it this morning! I thought our neighbors were going to complain about all the noise. Personally, I prefer to sleep in, but this one," he nodded in Stephanie's direction, "she's practically up at the crack of dawn, tearing the sheets off of me."

_That _didn't sound like the Stephanie _I_ knew.

"Really?" I asked, purposefully sounding surprised.

The putz looked smug. "Oh yeah!" Stephanie's face had turned three shades redder and she stared down at her hands with a look of resignation.

"Now _that_ sounds like _you_, Ranger," Jeanne Ellen purred. That got Stephanie's attention and she shot Jeanne Ellen a look that could kill.

I finally managed to remove Jeanne Ellen from my arm and push her away as I took a step closer to Stephanie, intentionally starting to invade her space.

"She's up at the crack of dawn, huh? No caffeine, no donuts?"

The idiot next to her just kept smiling and nodding. "Yep, every morning, my little ray of sunshine – "

I let out a loud bark of laughter at that one.

The putz continued. "- just like my little Energizer Bunny, ready to keep going and going…"

I took a step closer. My legs brushed up against her knees. Her breathing quickened and she stared up at me in focused anticipation.

I stared back at her as I spoke. "Sounds like maybe you're not doing it right." Steph's eyes closed for a long moment and I couldn't help the smile that started to form on my lips. "If she's _really_ satisfied, she's dead to the world until _at least_ ten o'clock."

I bent forward to whisper in her ear, my lips brushing her lobe as I spoke. "And even then I have to bribe her with coffee to wake her up."

I stood up and watched as her face flushed impossibly darker and she struggled to stay focused.

"Wh-what are you doing here, Ranger?" she asked me quietly

I looked her in the eyes, losing myself in them until there was nothing else around us. After a moment, I answered her quietly, "When you find that person – the one that understands and brings out your passion, who knows you intimately, body and soul – you crave them constantly, and never want to let them go."

Stephanie's lips had formed a perfect 'O' as she listened to my words and I prayed she understood the meaning behind them.

I tucked a curl behind her ear and the contact sent electricity rushing through me. Steph must have felt it, too – a second later a shiver passed through her.

The putz started rubbing her shoulders, thinking that she needed warming up. I knew that wasn't an issue. He turned to her and asked, "Are you cold, Jeanne Ellen?"

_Jeanne Ellen?_

I raised an eyebrow at Stephanie.

_TBC…_


	10. Chapter 10

_Not mine, they belong to JE. The unfamiliar ones are my OCs. This is Part II of a Babe-fic series; not recommended for Cupcakes. Rating is for language, situations, and eventually the serious smut. _

CHAPTER TEN

"I'm fine, Parker," Stephanie quietly answered the putz sitting next to her, before finally shrugging his arm off of her shoulders.

_Christian Parker. _Dimitry Aris' security advisor.

In my chase for Coclanis, I'd gathered as much intel as I could find on Aris' staff as well as all the major players within Jordin Bloom, Inc. Where Michael Coclanis – Aris' personal bodyguard – was in charge of ensuring personal safety, this fucker, Parker, was in charge of securing the safety of all electronic records and systems. For the last eight years, the putz had unlimited access to all of Aris' personal and professional communication in addition to all of his financial records. And now Parker was planning to cash in.

According to Baier, Aris' competitors were putting up a hundred mil for whatever this asshole had on him. He would have to be one dumb fuck to think he could get away with his plan without someone like Coclanis coming down on him…

I leaned back against the bar leisurely, continuing to watch Parker and Stephanie. I kept my expression calm and casual – though I felt anything but. What the hell was going on with Jeanne Ellen and Stephanie? Why for fuck's sake were they pretending to be each other? This whole mission was a clusterfuck – nothing was making any sense.

Out of the corner of my eye I watched the bartender approach our section of the bar to take fresh orders. Parker looked over at Jeanne Ellen, who was standing beside me and asked hopefully if she would stay for a drink. Before she could answer, Stephanie cut in.

"I'm sure Stephanie has _a ton_ of work to catch up on – don't you, Stephanie?" she gave Jeanne Ellen a look that meant she was all business and her tone carried the same message. "Those visitor profiles aren't going to get entered by themselves, are they?" she asked with a barely noticeable smirk.

Jeanne Ellen scowled back at her before answering, "I have other plans. Besides, I'm all worn out," she faked a yawn and stretched before leaning into me intimately. "You all have _this one_ to thank for that." She made a big show of snaking an arm around my waist and squeezing my ass cheek, then throwing another sadistic grin at Stephanie as she sauntered off.

I didn't miss the look of disappointment on Parker's face. _Interesting._

Stephanie was still glaring in the direction of the archway long after Jeanne Ellen had vanished through it. Likewise, the fucking putz next to her was now glaring at me.

"So you two are together?" he accusingly asked me.

I stared back at him blankly.

"Oh, yes!" Stephanie glanced at me sideways as she rushed to answer the fuckhead before I had the chance – as if I would! "They're definitely together. Absolutely – can't you tell? They're really hot and heavy, they screw _all_ the time."

_What the fuck? _

She went on, more calmly now, "You can see they are _very much_ together and very much into each other." As she spoke, she gestured in the direction of where I'd been standing with Jeanne Ellen. "_So_, there's obviously not much point in –," she hesitated and glanced quickly at me again before turning back to Parker and lowering her voice, "… in _continuing this_."

_Continuing what, exactly? _What the hell was she talking about? And why was she shoveling this bullshit about Jeanne Ellen and me? She didn't really buy any of Jeanne Ellen's lies about the two of us, did she? If my patience was thin earlier, it was nonexistent now – instead of getting the answers I needed, I was just turning up more and more fucking questions. _And instead of taking my Babe in my arms and devouring her mouth, her neck – fuck, her entire body – like I really wanted to, I was stuck dealing with all of this horseshit!_

But I managed to reign in my frustration and keep a neutral expression. Parker watched me skeptically and we all waited silently as the bartender brought him a fresh glass of scotch. After taking a slow sip of his drink, he turned on his stool to face me directly.

"Why exactly are you here?" he eyed me suspiciously as he spoke.

"I'm here for Stephanie." I kept my gaze on her, wanting her to understand that I was really talking about her. Not Jeanne Ellen.

Parker narrowed his eyes at me. "And what're you planning to do with her now that you're here?"

"Keep her safe," I answered without hesitation, holding Stephanie's eyes. Her expression was unreadable – but God, she looked so fucking amazing. I just wanted to drag her into my arms and get us both the hell out of this place, get to somewhere private where we could be alone and…

I flicked a glance over her shoulder at Parker as I continued, "The rest is between me and her."

"She never mentioned you," Parker bit out. I stared at him blankly again. What the fuck's this guy's deal? He's all over Stephanie, and not two minutes later he's obsessed with my imaginary relationship with Jeanne Ellen. For someone playing the high stakes game he was in with Aris and his rivals, he was thinking an awful lot with the wrong head.

"Nope, not one word about you," Parker continued. "So I'm not convinced that you're really that intimate with her." _Funny, I had the same theory about __**his**__ relationship with 'Jeanne Ellen'._

I caught Steph's eye again. "There's _no need_ for Stephanie to mention me. Our connection goes without saying." Parker was outright glaring at me again – but I'd had enough. "What I wanna know is what _the fuck_ is it to you?" I growled as I stared him down until he eventually looked away and picked up his scotch to take another drink. _Punk.._

I was fed up with all this bullshit and I was going to get some fucking answers. Now.

I turned my attention back to Stephanie, just as two guys approached us and tried to get her attention.

"Excuse me, Miss?" the closest of the two started as he tapped her on the shoulder.

_Fuck – what now?_

They were college kids, frat boys most likely, both in khakis and pastel polos with flipped up collars, sunglasses on top of their heads and the stench of Jagermeister filling the air around them. _Douches._

Stephanie spun around on her stool, a look of genuine surprise on her face.

"It _is _her!" the second douche shouted as he threw both of his arms straight up over his head and closed his eyes. "Score!"

"Shut the fuck up, man – be cool," the first douche smacked the second douche in the chest with the back of his hand as he turned back to Stephanie. He held a rolled up magazine in his left hand, which he thrust in front of Stephanie. "Will you sign this for us? And take a picture with us?" he added hopefully.

Stephanie unrolled the magazine to find it opened to a full page ad with her look-alike's headshot – the same ad I'd found in the in-flight magazine.

"It's you, isn't it?" the second douche yelled drunkenly at her, as he lurched forward unsteadily. Before she could answer, Steph was being pulled off her stool by the first douche.

"C'mon, come take a picture with us and our bros."

_Oh, Fuck no! _That was the last thing that I was letting happen. I moved to pull her out of their sweaty hands, but that fucker Parker stepped between me and them.

"How long have you and Stephanie been together, then?" He was oblivious to '_Jeanne Ellen'_ being whisked away behind him by the horny Kappa Alpha Douches. I went to move around him but he quickly stepped in front of me, blocking my path as he jabbed two fingers into my chest. "No, this conversation isn't over – how long have you been screwing around with her?"

For a split second I felt like I was back in Trenton, arguing with Morelli. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes at that memory.

I tried to keep an eye on Stephanie over Parker's shoulder and caught glimpses of her posing for camera pics with the douches and their obnoxious friends about fifteen feet away from us. While they exchanged phones and swapped places, I threw a death glare at Parker. I needed to take care of this annoyance once and for all.

I closed the distance between us and spoke quietly in his ear, simultaneously pulling my gun from its shoulder holster and pressing it into his gut.

"Put your hands on me again and it will be your last memory of this life." I heard him gulp audibly as I jabbed the muzzle harder into his stomach. "Same goes for '_Jeanne Ellen'_. Keep your fucking hands off of her," I growled in his ear, using her undercover alias. "Do whatever the fuck you want with '_Stephanie'_. I don't care – but you don't fucking touch '_Jeanne Ellen'_. Do we have an understanding?"

He nodded and I pulled away, holstering my gun as I scanned the crowd over his shoulder. The frat boys were still crowded together in the same spot and I made my way towards them to rescue Stephanie.

As I weaved through the crowd of couples and small groups over to where the picture party had taken place, I overheard their conversation.

"Man, she's so fucking hot!  
"I would totally wreck her shit."

_Over my dead body._

"No kidding – what I wouldn't give for a few hours alone with her –"  
"A few hours? You wouldn't last two minutes with her –"

I could hear myself involuntarily growling as I pushed past the last few people standing between me and these assholes.

But when I got within clear sight of their group, I stopped dead in my tracks.

Stephanie was nowhere to be seen. Douche #1 was staring down at his magazine, with Douche #2 looking over his shoulder as they read what Stephanie had obviously signed to them. I glanced back at the bar to see if she had somehow slipped past me in the crowd. No dice. Parker was making his way towards me.

I quickly scanned the room to see if I could spot her, before grabbing that fucking douchebag by the collar and slamming him up against the nearest wall, his goddamn magazine falling to the floor as he yelped in fear.

"Where the fuck did she go?" The fucker's eyes grew wide with fear as I held him in place against the wall. The rest of his asshole friends stepped back a few paces, not wanting to get involved.

"Dude, I-I-I didn't mean anything by it –" he stammered. "Fuck! I just wanted, uh – you know, uh - a pic with her, she's famous, man – sh-sh-she's all over the internet, and-and-and in Maxim –"

I pulled him back slightly before slamming him back against the wall again. "Where did she go?" I ground out evenly and with a calm I didn't really feel. I sensed Parker step in behind me, leaning in to hear our conversation.

"I d-d-don't know, man – s-s-some big dude c-c-came up to us," he choked out, "a-a-and told her th-th-that the 'boss' was waiting to s-s-see her. And then they left."

"Coclanis," Parker muttered quietly.

I released the douche's collar and he fell to the floor. I ignored his groaning as I stepped over him and faced Parker.

"What the hell do you mean, '_Coclanis_'?" I fought to keep the panic from washing over me completely.

Parker stared back at me irritably. "There isn't time to explain. Everything's already in motion – we've got to get moving." He turned and started pushing his way through the crowd again before I could stop him for more answers.

What in Christ's name was going on? If I had any hope of finding out the answers, I had no choice but to follow him.

We pushed through the crowded circular lounge then into the lobby and out on the veranda. Parker shoved a ticket into the hand of a teenaged valet and asked him to hurry. I threw a hand onto Parker's shoulder and spun him around violently.

"Explain," I ordered forcefully.

He shook his head briefly. "We can't talk _here_."

"Where the fuck did she go with Coclanis? And why aren't we going after her?"

"She'll be fine," the dumb fuck had the nerve to roll his eyes at me. "Agent Burrows is well-trained – I know that much."

_Madre de Dios! When was this fucking nightmare going to end? _(Mother of God!)

A silver humvee pulled up to the curb and the young valet jumped out, running over to meet Parker with the keys.

_A fucking hummer – Christ! _

He jumped in the driver's seat before impatiently shouting at me to get in. I debated my options. I wanted to stay – sweep through every room in that fucking resort until I found where Stephanie was. But if she was with Coclanis – my presence might put her in more danger. There obviously was some plan in place that I wasn't privy to.

I shook my head to try to clear my thoughts as I reluctantly reached for the door – and against every instinct I had, I climbed in. I buckled my seatbelt as we sped off into the night, leaving the resort – and Stephanie – behind us.

_TBC…_


	11. Chapter 11

_Not mine, they belong to JE. The unfamiliar ones are my OCs. This is Part II of a Babe-fic series; not recommended for Cupcakes. Rating is for language, situations, and eventually the serious smut. _

_A/N: Just a reminder, from Parker's perspective, Stephanie is 'Jeanne Ellen' or 'Burrows', and 'Stephanie' refers to Jeanne Ellen… Ranger only refers to them that way when talking to Parker… sorry for any confusion. _

CHAPTER ELEVEN

_Four hundred and sixty-three seconds._

That's how long Stephanie had been left with Coclanis. I felt each second tick by in absolute agony.

_Four hundred and seventy-one seconds. And counting. _

I tried to control my anxiety as I sat in the passenger seat of Parker's ridiculous Humvee, trying _**not**_ to think about what might be happening back at the resort.

_Four hundred and seventy-eight seconds. _

If I didn't get an explanation soon, I could guarantee there was going to be bloodshed.

Parker guided us down a series of side-streets, making what seemed to be random turns every few moments. He was doing a fucking amateur job of losing a potential tail. As if we didn't already stick out like a sore thumb on the narrow streets.

"You owe me some answers," I finally growled at him. He flicked his eyes to me briefly.

"Look, I'm not entirely sure I trust you – I mean, what the hell is your connection to all this, anyway? First you say you're here to protect Stephanie, then you're telling me hand's off of Burrows – "

I was out of patience. I needed answers, not more questions. I pulled my gun out of its holster again as I cut him off mid-sentence. "The only thing you need to trust is that if you don't start explaining, this hummer's hood is gonna be wearing your fucking brains."

The color drained out of Parker's face quickly and I noticed him taking a few deep breaths before swallowing hard. After a long pause he finally spoke up.

"A lot of it, you're gonna have to get from Burrows. For obvious reasons, she's calling the shots around here."

_Obvious reasons, my ass!_ But I let the evasion go for the moment.

He continued, "So she'll decide how much you get to know." As he talked, Parker pulled slowly onto a gravel path, heavily crowded with brush. The trail twisted and turned several times, bringing us further and further into what appeared to be pure jungle. I estimated we were still only about four miles from the resort.

Turning the engine off, Parker reached behind his seat and pulled out a laptop and phone. He flipped open the laptop and logged in before handing it over to me. I raised my eyebrow at him in question as I took it from him, resting it open on my thighs.

As he turned the phone on, he gave me instructions to open up a series of programs that were stored in a desktop file. The programs opened up into four separate windows, which were minimized and arranged on the screen in a block pattern, allowing us to view all of them simultaneously. Each screen displayed a white on black script that was running entirely too fast for me to break it down. Parker laid the phone on the dash and turned to watch the progress of the scripts.

"I'm not sure how much you already know about the mission, with Stephanie and Burrows and all," he looked at me questioningly as he spoke, as if I was going to start giving _him _answers. I stared back at him blankly. "Well, turns out there's something Burrows wants from Aris. And Coclanis, too for that matter. Damn if I know what the fuck it is – she won't tell anyone. But she is fuckin' relentless about this."

_Now __**that**__ sounded like the Stephanie I knew…_

"So long story short, she and I made a deal – I agreed to get her access to Coclanis and Aris. And these little babies," he gestured to the laptop screen, "are the fruits of her labor."

I ignored the fact that he left out what his end of the bargain was.

As I stared in shock at the screen in front of me, watching the scripts roll across each of the four screens, I tried to absorb what Parker was saying. From the moment I'd learned of Stephanie's involvement in a mission concerning Coclanis, all I could think about was getting her somewhere safe.

And now, this shit-for-brains was telling me that Stephanie was _seeking out_ Aris and Coclanis?

My fingers gripped the edge of the seat in agonized frustration as I tried to comprehend how much danger Stephanie could be in right this moment.

The phone buzzed on the dashboard and Parker picked it up. He glanced at the screen before explaining that it was one of Stephanie's signals.

"She's got audio up. Go to the quick-launch tray and click on that red bull's-eye icon," Parker instructed me.

I followed his directions and opened what appeared to be a basic media-file program. Background noises of nothing in particular immediately came on over the speakers. I threw a questioning look at Parker, who looked like he was about to answer my unspoken question, when Stephanie's voice filled the inside of the hummer.

"I think it's _more _than obvious, Mr. Aris –," she spoke huskily in her seductress voice.

"Its Dimitry," Aris interrupted her impatiently.

"Dimitry, then. I think it's more than obvious why I'm here. The question is, what are you going to do about it?"

My heart was in my throat. I felt ice-cold fear pulsing through my veins, just hearing her in the same room as Aris. _At least she's not with Coclanis, _I tried to convince myself that was something to be relieved about.

Just then the top left window on the screen flashed as its script came to an end and a video shot of a luxury suite popped up in its place. The image showed Dimitry's piggish face, his body arrogantly leaning back on an overstuffed couch, his knees spread apart as if he was just waiting for someone to come do their job and suck him off.

Just to the left of the screen-shot and barely in the frame was Stephanie, seductively curled up on an ottoman, facing Aris with her legs tucked underneath her, her breasts practically begging to be released from the confines of her dress. She held an ice-cube in one hand which she slowly and almost absentmindedly slid up and down her neck, ducking closer to her cleavage with every pass.

A wide range of emotions washed over me instantly at the image, but pure rage was the most dominant.

I turned to Parker. "You sent her in to meet Coclanis and Aris - _with bugs and cameras_?"

Forget my fury with Baier and Coclanis from earlier – I wanted to slaughter _this_ dumb fuck. I wanted to paint this ridiculous piece of shit hummer with his fucking blood. I was torn between wanting to either crush his skull in with my steel toe boot or rip his head off with my bare hands.

The audio from the laptop interrupted my debate on how to best kill Parker for his total stupidity.

"What am I going to do about it?," Aris answered her aggressively. "I'll tell you – I'm going to bend your pretty little ass over that desk over there and fucking bang you into next October. Now let's cut the shit and get to it."

Lethal fury that ran through me as I watched Aris move to get up from the couch. I stared helplessly at the screen in front of me, ready to slay everyone in this fucking nightmare – Baier, Coclanis, Aris, Parker, fuck – even Jeanne Ellen – just to get Stephanie back safe and away from this horrific shit.

The worst images of what might happen to Stephanie next unfolded in my head and I felt sick at the thought of her going through any of that.

But I wasn't prepared for what I saw next.

Stephanie stood up and slowly walked over to the large, oak desk that sat just inside the right frame of the screen. Beads of sweat started to form at my hairline as I watched in complete fear for her. Stephanie leaned seductively over the desk to pour herself a drink from a cut-glass decanter of whiskey, in the process, presenting her tightly swathed ass to Aris. Once she finished pouring the drink, she rolled her shoulders and arched her back, accentuating her ass even further - all with the grace and skill to match any experienced pole dancer.

_Holy fuckin' hell._ I was scared like never before for her life, her safety, I was ready to bring down my wrath on anyone who posed a threat to her, and now on top of that I was starting to get a hard-on like you wouldn't believe.

Aris had followed her from the couch to the desk and was now standing a foot behind Stephanie, looking like he was ready to swallow her whole. She gracefully turned herself around to face him.

"Dimitry," she purred in that incredibly sexy voice of hers, "You are undoubtedly a man with a lot of power." She looked up at him through seductively lowered lashes. "And one thing I know about powerful men – men who _always_ get whatever they want, whenever they want it – is that they occasionally like to work for it." She looked up, challenging him. Aris's back was to the camera now, but he seemed to be assessing her as he stared down at her. Then slowly, he nodded once.

"Go on," he finally answered. And I realized then, that as much as I was scared for her – Stephanie was in complete control of this situation.

"I want you to work for this. I want you to _pursue_ me." She smiled sweetly at him before stretching on her toes to reach his ear and whispering loudly, "I promise I'll be worth the chase."

There was a sudden knock on a door off screen as someone interrupted to announce that Aris' London office was on the phone.

"Wait here," he demanded as he ran his hand up from her hip, over her curves and roughly groped her breast before turning and leaving the room.

I furiously tucked that image away for another day – Aris was going to have a high price to pay for that mistake. I watched as Stephanie quickly moved about the suite. She stood in front of a bookshelf that was positioned behind the couch Aris had been sitting in. As she pretended to run her fingers over a few books, she lingered over one that was hidden in the shadows of the shelf above it.

A split second later, two of the remaining three windows on the laptop came to life with alternate views of the room. One showed the back of the couch and the ottoman where Stephanie had been sitting along with other opulent furniture arranged conversation-style. The other camera gave a full frontal view of the desk, with an expansive window behind it. I watched as Stephanie moved from one screen to the other, now standing in front of the window, as if admiring the view. She ran her hands over the panes and curtains before settling on a place she liked. Another second later and we had the reverse view of the room. This one cut across the seating area and showed us the door to the suite.

Combined, all four cameras gave a panoramic view of the suite.

_Impressive, Babe!_

I couldn't help but feel exhilarated at her success. In less than minutes, she had the inner suite of one of the most powerful business men in the world completely bugged. I pushed that feeling away though as I focused on the screens and was once again reminded of the absolute danger she was in.

As Stephanie started to move away from the window, she seemed to brush up against the curtain, accidentally shifting the tiny camera and causing it to fall to the floor."

"Shit!" She cursed under her breath as she bent down to pick it up. Just then, Aris returned to the room and Stephanie stood up, the camera tucked away in her hand.

"Fuck – she's gonna want that camera back in place," Parker announced. I glanced at him, waiting for him to elaborate. "Well – that's where he's doing most of his work – on that desk. This one's the money shot for whatever she's looking for."

"What're you doing," Aris questioned her suspiciously.

Stephanie brought her fingers up to her earlobe and pretended to fiddle with her jewelry. "I dropped my earring." She turned back to the window, supposedly reinserting the earring into her lobe. A second later, the camera was back in place and the view was restored. Only now it gave us an extreme close-up of Stephanie's breasts since she was still standing in front of it.

"What'd I tell ya? Money shot!" Parker said smugly, but I ignored him.

I watched one of the bookshelf-screenshots as Aris moved quickly across the room to stand behind the desk next to Stephanie. I started to feel nauseous – I didn't think I could handle seeing her get molested any more. This time, though, he reached into a drawer and pulled out a small card. He bent over the desk and wrote a few notes on the back before handing it to her.

"My day is full tomorrow – but we can meet for drinks tomorrow night. That time and that location," he said, indicating what he'd written on the card.

Stephanie nodded her understanding before answering, "I'm looking forward to it."

Aris smiled coldly at her before reaching for her shoulder and spinning her around, with her back to his chest. Another wave of fury ran over me as I watched him grab her hips and grind himself against her aggressively from behind. He roughly yanked her hair to one side and whispered in her ear, "Me, too."

The camera that Stephanie had placed on the upper window pane caught the whole exchange and I watched as a small spark of panic flashed in Stephanie's eyes. It vanished quickly, though and a moment later, Aris thankfully released her. The cameras caught him watching her as she crossed the room and exited the suite. I couldn't help but think he looked like a predator stalking his next meal and I wondered if Stephanie knew exactly what she'd gotten herself into.

"You worked for this fucking pig for _eight_ _years_?" I asked Parker with disgust.

He just shrugged in response. I expected him to make some reference to the payout he was getting now, but he didn't.

My mind was reeling from everything I'd just seen and learned. I tried to pin down what questions had been answered and which ones still remained. I knew now that Stephanie was working on something of her own – trying to get some info on Aris or Coclanis or both - something that no one else knew about. But I didn't know what information she was after. And I still didn't know why she and Jeanne Ellen had switched places.

~oOo~

We sat in the darkness of the hummer as the video and audio continued to run. Not much else had happened since Stephanie left; a few people came in and out of the suite but they all seemed to be security. Stephanie apparently had been the main show for Aris tonight.

Parker was fifteen minutes into a detailed explanation of the scripts he'd run in order to get the remote cameras and audio to work. He was obviously pleased with himself for the whole set-up, which he repeatedly pointed out was all put together with bare-bones equipment and software.

I tuned him out as I analyzed Stephanie's situation and tried to re-plan my next move.

She was deep in it and I was going to have to find some way to convince her to walk away. I knew from experience this was going to be a hard pill for her to swallow, but it was the only way I could make sure she was safe. And there was _**no way **_I was going to let her make that appointment for drinks with Aris tomorrow night. Especially not after the way he'd put his hands on her.

"So, tell me," Parker's change of subject cut into my thoughts, "what's the history between you and Stephanie?"

I glared at him.

"Hey, I'm just wondering – I mean, she seemed to make it clear tonight you two were pretty close, but then – you know, with what you said at the bar…"

It took me a second to realize he was talking about Jeanne Ellen again.

"What the fuck is the plan, now?" I asked, ignoring his question. "When do we meet up with Ste- … 'Jeanne Ellen'?" I quickly corrected myself._ Christ, this was getting confusing._

"Don't get your panties in a wad, she should be here any second." I flicked my eyes to the side-view mirror outside my window in an effort to concentrate on anything other thank killing this moronic fuck, who just _wouldn't_ shut-up. "So you seem awfully protective of Burrows. What's up with that? I mean, she has an _extensive_ background as a tested field agent – it's not like she needs the extra protection. Unless … you're _physically_ interested?" There was an obvious smirk in his voice.

I continued to ignore him and stared out the window, searching for any approaching headlights that would signal Stephanie's arrival.

"That's it, isn't it? You're _hot_ for Burrows, aren't you? But that doesn't make any sense – you know she's a –" His words were cut off when the back door to the hummer suddenly swung open.

In an instant I had spun around in my seat and had my gun pressed into the face of the intruder.

_Stephanie._

"Jeez, Ranger, you really know how to make a girl feel welcome!" she quipped as she pushed the barrel of my gun down towards the floorboard. "Did I interrupt your special bonding time?" The smile in her voice told me she knew any time spent alone with Parker was torture for me.

"How'd the equipment work? Is everything good?" She asked as she slid fully into the back seat. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her as Parker filled her in on how their little project was going.

She'd changed into black spandex – where her dress had gone, I had no clue. She was nothing short of glorious and it took every bit of restraint on my part not to jump in the back seat with her and run my hands all of her – partly to reassure myself she was okay, and partly because it had been _too long_ since I'd had that luxury…

I noticed her cheeks were flushed and she had a faint sheen of sweat at her hairline. And it was then that I started to wonder how exactly she'd approached the vehicle without me knowing.

"How'd you get here, Babe?" I interrupted their conversation.

She smiled at me like a little girl with a secret and I couldn't help but fall for her all over again. My heart started to race as she held my gaze, looking like she was ready to burst if she didn't tell me whatever she was holding back.

Still smiling like a damn Cheshire Cat, she ignored my question. "What was my time, Parker?"

Parker glanced at the laptop before answering. "You made it in twenty-two, fifty-eight. About twenty seconds better than your last time."

Stephanie's smile widened even further and I raised an eyebrow, waiting for her answer to my question. She sighed and rolled her eyes when she realized I was waiting her out.

"If you _must_ know, Ranger, I ran."

There was a moment of silence between us before I repeated her words, in disbelief. "You ran."

"Yes, _I ran_," she repeated firmly.

"From the resort?" I asked.

"Yes."

"To this car?"

"_Yes!_" She was starting to sound pissed off. Forgetting all of the terror and frustration of the last several hours, I allowed this new revelation to sink in. _My Babe_ had run. By my best calculation, it was about four miles from where we were parked to the resort. There may have been a short-cut, but it couldn't shave too much time off the distance. I calculated the time and distance.

_Dios!_ Her run-time was almost better than mine!

I couldn't keep the smile off of my face as I took in this information.

"Proud of you, Babe." I didn't think it was possible, but her smile got even bigger.

"Sorry to bust up this happy reunion, but we should probably get the hell out of dodge, don't you think?" Parker raised his eyebrows in question as he looked back at Steph in the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah, lets get going."At her confirmation, Parker started the engine and maneuvered the vehicle through the brush and back to the main road.

Until then, I'd forgotten Parker's comment from earlier, _"__For obvious reasons, she's calling the shots around here."_

I contemplated that along with everything I had witnessed on the video stream, as well as Stephanie's new-found love of exercise.

My first thought was obvious. _Who __**was**__ this woman?_

I had the uneasy feeling that I needed to get used to getting more questions than answers. Every piece of this mystery that I uncovered just showed me there was more going on than I could figure out – and that was a very unsettling conclusion.

~oOo~

"Don't you think Stephanie should be with us when we start analyzing the video?" Parker directed his question to Steph through the rear-view mirror as he navigated the hummer down a desolate two-lane road.

She sighed in response. "Parker, I know you'd want nothing more than to have her along for this little adventure. _We all_ know how much you'd enjoy her 'company'," she made air-quotes as she answered him. "But for reasons I can't go into right now, I'm not comfortable with her being in on this – and I _definitely _don't want her at my place. I don't want her even _knowing _I have a place."

So we were going to Stephanie's hide-out. This was the first indication I had gotten on where we were headed. We'd been traveling down empty rural roads for about twenty minutes now without much sign of an obvious destination.

Parker was silent for a few moments. "I'm not _that_ obvious about it, am I?"

Steph rolled her eyes. "Yeah. You kinda are."

He grunted in response.

"So you don't trust her with knowing where your hideout is, but you trust 'Mad Max' over here?" he jerked a thumb in my direction. I waited silently for Steph's answer.

There was a long pause before she quietly answered, "I trust 'Mad Max' over there with my life, Parker."

I slowly released the breathe I didn't realize I was holding.

I hoped wherever this hideout was, that it had more than one room so I could be alone with Stephanie. We had a lot to talk about. _And a lot of unfinished business to take care of._

I suddenly snapped into full-alert as I watched a pair of headlights approaching us in the side-view mirror. "Looks like we have company."

We watched with apprehension as the vehicle behind us closed the distance at an alarming rate. Parker slammed down on the accelerator.

"They're still closing in," Stephanie warned, watching the vehicle get closer.

"Who would be following us?" I questioned.

"It could be anybody," Parker answered, glancing in his side-view mirror. "Could be Coclanis or one of his guys if anyone found out about the bugs." He looked down briefly at the laptop screen. "But they're still up, so I doubt that's who it is. Most likely they woulda taken them down if they found 'em."

"Maybe it's someone after your pay-out," Stephanie's voice was muffled as she rummaged under her seat for something. A moment later, she pulled out a twenty-gauge shotgun and started moving to the back window.

"Babe!"

"What?" she looked up at me questioningly. I held out my hand for the gun. No way was I letting her play 'tail-gunner' with whoever was chasing us.

She chewed on her lip for a second in contemplation before finally handing over the gun.

"Good idea," she answered as she bent over again to look under the seat. This time she came up with a rifle with a scope on it. "You can cover me while I go for the tires with more accuracy."

Once again the thought flashed through my brain, _Who __**is**__ this woman?_ But I didn't have time to pursue that thought any further. All thought left my brain as I moved into action.

I pushed Stephanie back down in her seat before forcing her shoulders down.

"Stay down!" I ordered, before quickly moving to the back of the vehicle. I didn't have time though to get into position. The car behind us surged forward and slammed into the back left bumper, causing us to swerve off the road. The sudden movement sent me crashing to the side wall as I lost my balance. Parker struggled to get the hummer back on the road and swerved hard to the right.

We careened over to the opposite side of the road as Parker tried to correct his steering. I tried to regain my balance when I saw the other vehicle come up quickly on our right.

Just as we were cutting back across into the right lane, the other car gunned its engine, the driver aiming for our right front wheel.

"Look out!" Stephanie screamed.

I was trying to steady myself with one hand on the floor and the other on the back of Stephanie's seat. Just before the moment of impact, I saw a gun being leveled out of the car's window at us. I lunged at Stephanie, knocking us both to the floor, just as the car collided with the hummer's right front end – and just before the gun went off. I felt my body land on top of Stephanie's when the window shattered. The collision with the other car had us skidding across the road before the hummer started to roll.

My arms were wrapped around her as we bounced from the floor to the ceiling and back with each roll. Stephanie's screams of terror were the last thing I heard before everything went black.

_TBC…_


	12. Chapter 12

_Not mine, they belong to JE. The unfamiliar ones are my OCs. This is Part II of a Babe-fic series; not recommended for Cupcakes.  
Rating is for language, situations, and finally, in this chapter, the serious smut.  
This is the final chapter -- Thank you for following this story!  
Look for Part III, "Gimme Shelter" - to be posted soon..._

CHAPTER TWELVE

"_Please don't die. Please don't die. Please don't die…"_

My head was killing me.

It felt like every inch of my body had been beaten with a sledgehammer.

"… _Please don't die. Please don't die. Please don't die…"_

I couldn't move.

I wasn't restrained. It was just physically impossible for me to move a single muscle. I couldn't even open my eyes.

But I could hear.

"… _Please don't die. Please don't die. Please don't die…"_

It was Stephanie's voice.

I don't know what was more agonizing – my body feeling like one giant bruise, or the paralysis that kept me from reassuring her I was alive, at least for the moment.

What felt like a wet cloth moved slowly across my forehead, followed by soft fingertips that gently traced from my hairline to my jaw.

"Please, Ranger!" She was pleading with me now. "You can't die!"

I struggled against the fog of my brain, using every ounce of energy I had left in my body to try to communicate - to speak, open my eyes, move – do _something_. I needed her to know there was no way I would _ever_ willingly leave her.

But before I could explain all of that to her, I slipped back into darkness.

~oOo~

I came to some time later. It felt like hours had passed but I had no way of knowing. My mind was clearer and although my body still felt like road-kill, I was at least able to open my eyes.

I took in the ceiling above me before rolling my eyes first to the right and then to the left.

The room was small, only about six feet by eight feet. The walls were bare – plain white – and from what I could see, in addition to the twin size bed I was lying on, there was only a small futon, a table and a door. The bed looked to be attached to the wall, like a bunk from a submarine or a prison cell. _Interesting décor_.

I looked down and found a mass of brown curls resting on my chest.

I lifted my hand and stroked my fingers through Stephanie's hair. She stirred slightly before pressing herself tighter against me.

"Babe."

No response.

I moved my hand from her hair to stroke down her back.

She shifted, instinctively pushing herself into my hand.

"Steph."

"Hmm?" she answered sleepily, not fully awake.

"Stephanie."

Her head shot up immediately in surprise and our eyes met. She was beautiful as always, her hair tousled from sleep, her face slightly flushed.

I stroked my thumb over the dried tear-tracks that were obvious across her cheeks. She closed her eyes in an expression of relief and silently turned her head into my hand.

"Ranger, I was _so_ worried."

I leaned forward and lightly captured her lips with my own in a simple kiss. We stayed connected like that for several long moments, until I tasted her salty tears between our lips. I pulled back and cupped her face in my hands, looking at her questioningly.

"Parker," she whispered, "he didn't make it." Her face crumpled and she broke down, crying openly. "Ranger – it's all my fault!"

Even though she was lying on the bruises and cuts that I knew covered my body, I crushed her to my chest, stroking my hands through her hair and over her back, soothingly.

"Babe. It's _not_ your fault."

I kept my arms tight around her and whispered words of comfort to her as she cried herself out on my chest. Eventually, her sobs quieted and she got her breathing under control.

"What happened, Steph?" I wasn't sure if she was ready to talk about it, yet, but I needed to get a handle on our situation. There were a lot of facts I needed her to provide, starting with what exactly had happened after I blacked out.

She sniffled before propping herself up and wiping her face with the back of her hand. She nodded once in response and rested her free hand on my shoulder, absentmindedly playing with my shirt as she started talking.

"There was the other car – it sped up to hit us. It was trying to run us off the road, I think. You came over the back seat to push me to the floorboard, right before the gun went off. The window shattered and then we were rolling. We rolled for forever – I think we must have gone down an embankment or something. I didn't black out, I think, because you were protecting me."

She leaned forward and quickly touched her lips to my cheek. "Thank you, Ranger – for _always_ protecting me."

I didn't say anything in response – there was _nothing_ to say – I never wanted her to feel like she had to thank me. I bent my head towards hers and covered her mouth with mine. When we pulled apart, she took a deep breath before continuing.

"When we finally hit the bottom, I managed to get us both out of the humvee. It took me a while –," she choked back a sob. "– that's why I couldn't get back to help Parker. I pulled you a safe distance away. When I turned back to go get him –," tears started running down her cheeks and she shook her head silently. I pulled her head back down to my chest and tried to comfort her again.

Several moments later she regained her control once again. "The car caught fire before I could get back to him. At first I thought there was still time – but before I could get to his door, the car exploded. I was too late."

She was stared silently at my chest when she'd finished, reliving the experience.

"Babe – you did everything you could. This _was not_ your fault." She nodded her agreement, but it was half-hearted. She was going to carry this unnecessary guilt with her until she finally accepted that she'd done what she could.

"Steph, where _exactly_ are we?"

She looked at me in confusion before answering.

"Oh! This is my place – where I stay. No one knows where it is. Not even Jeanne Ellen. We're about two hundred feet from the beach."

I digested that information for a moment.

"How did we get here?"

She suddenly looked very interested in my shirt.

"Babe?"

"Well, about that… we were about a mile and a half away from here. And I couldn't get you to wake up – I tried, but Ranger, you were out cold." She looked at me pleadingly.

I raised an eyebrow at her, waiting for her to continue.

"I had to drag you."

No wonder my body felt like it had been put through a food processor. _A mile and a half – Dios! _

I doubted that she had much choice on how to get us out of there, though. And it was actually impressive that she managed to pull me that far. Stephanie was worriedly chewing on her bottom lip, waiting for my reaction.

"You did what you had to do. You got us here in one piece – more or less," I half-smiled at her, "Mission Accomplished."

For the first time since I'd woken up, Stephanie managed a small smile. And it made all my aches and bruises worth it. I pulled her further up my body so her face was hovering directly over mine, and slid my mouth against hers. She sighed as she returned my kiss, stretching out fully against me. I lazily stroked my tongue against hers, taking my time tasting her as her fingers wound their way into my hair and she moaned into my mouth. We stayed like that for a while, taking advantage of our first real opportunity to be alone together.

Eventually though, my sore muscles were screaming for attention. I slowly broke our kiss.

"Babe – do you have any pain relievers?"

Stephanie's eyes were half closed in desire and I immediately thought about what pain relief I really wanted from her. But I still needed answers to all the questions that had been building since I arrived in Belize.

She nodded as she climbed off of me and headed into another room. She was only gone a minute before returning with pills, a glass of water and a tube of what looked like ointment. I took four pain relievers and gulped down the glass of water.

"I have some muscle-rub that might help some of the soreness," Stephanie looked around the room as she was talking, as if she was suddenly unsure of herself. "I could massage it in for you, if you'd like…"

I grabbed her wrist and swiftly tugged her down onto the edge of the bed. She looked at me in surprise and I couldn't help the hungry look I gave her. "I would _very_ _much_ like."

She helped me pull off my t-shirt before turning me over on my stomach. The simple act of rolling over was painful, and I was thankful we weren't pursuing my _preferred activities_ just yet. Stephanie climbed on top of me, straddling my ass as she began gently rubbing the cream into my skin.

Her touch instantly eased my pain. She intuitively kneaded my sore muscles into submission and I felt my body begin to relax to a point I hadn't felt in months. I was practically falling asleep when I realized I needed to start my interrogation.

"Why the twin-sized bed, Babe?" I decided to throw her an easy one to start off with.

"Well, I didn't know you were coming to visit, Ranger. If I had known that, I would've sprung for a double at least." Her smile was obvious in her voice. I was glad to hear I was her only reason for needing a larger bed.

"Tell me what happened with your assignment."

Her hands were running up my spine from my cargoes to the base of my neck and back and it was pure ecstasy. She practically had me purring.

"What do you mean, Ranger?" Her voice was husky as she answered right in my ear, on her trip up my back, before sliding back down my spine.

I had to swallow hard before responding.

"Why did you and Jeanne Ellen switch places?"

She didn't answer me at first and I wondered if I was going to have to apply pressure to get her to talk. _God knows I wouldn't last long using that method…_

"It was a case of being in the right place at the right time," she answered softly. I turned my head to see her face. She was concentrating on my shoulder blades like they were giving her a hard time – but I suspected it was whatever she had to tell me that was causing her expression.

"Explain."

She took a deep breath before continuing. "We were supposed to make contact with Parker when we got down here. Jeanne Ellen and I weren't exactly getting along."

"No! Say it isn't so?"

"Funny. No – we didn't get along. Ranger, it was _terrible!_" She swatted at me playfully. "Well, she happened to be… _indisposed_ when Parker showed up. He assumed I was Jeanne Ellen and I went with it."

Stephanie had stolen Jeanne Ellen's assignment right out from under her! _Unbelievable._ I could only imagine what had kept Jeanne Ellen _'indisposed'_ at the time of her contact and I couldn't wait to hear _that_ story.

"At first, she didn't know I'd already made contact – but when it came out, I threatened her with the success of the mission if she didn't go along with my plan. She didn't have any other choice."

I wondered if Steph had considered that Jeanne Ellen might be going along with this plan in order to keep her safe. I was more comfortable with the idea of Coclanis going after Jeanne Ellen, thinking she was Stephanie. The odds for everyone's survival were a lot greater in that scenario.

And knowing what I knew about Jeanne Ellen, this scenario made the most sense.

Stephanie leaned across my back to whisper in my ear, "Time to turn over."

Her voice sent shivers through me – I was amazed at her ability to switch gears so quickly. One minute she was vulnerable, telling me all her secrets – the next she was a seductress ready to take charge. I turned over onto my back when she lifted herself off of me, and couldn't help the sudden rush I got as she climbed back on top and straddled my hips.

I cleared my throat, trying to regain my self control. I wanted to grab her and grind myself against her. I wanted her writhing and moaning in pleasure for me again. But I still needed answers. The twisted part of me now hoped I'd ask something she didn't want to answer, so I could _coerce_ the info out of her…

"How did your picture get into every magazine and billboard south of the equator?"

She smiled as she worked her palms from my pecs up to my shoulders and back again. I bit back a groan as the sensation sent more blood rushing straight to my unbelievable hard-on.

"_That_ was a case of being in the _wrong_ place at the _wrong_ time."

I raised an eyebrow at her questioningly.

"My first day on assignment, before I became 'Jeanne Ellen', I was sent out to deal with a local workers' dispute that interfered with a high-profile visit. Long-story-short, the workers were protesting, I got in the middle of it – right when the fire-hoses came out – and a reporter snapped the picture. The next thing we knew, the photo had been airbrushed and doctored and was being used in every ad from here to Timbuktu."

_Classic Babe. _I shook my head in disbelieve. "You never disappoint."

She hovered over me for a moment before lightly brushing her lips across mine. "Maybe you're just easy to please?" she asked me huskily.

I pulled her bottom lip into my mouth, scraping my teeth over her luscious, sensitive skin, before growling at her, "Not at all."

She yelped in surprise – whether from where I'd almost bitten her or from my growl – I wasn't sure, but she moved back to sit on my lap and continue her massage. My muscles were feeling incredibly relaxed from her efforts. Well, all except for _one muscle_ in particular…

Steph ran her hands up my sides and down over my abdomen in slow circles. I got a handle on my physical urges and decided to press on with my last few questions.

"What was your deal with Parker?"

She looked up at me with raised eyebrows. This question obviously surprised her.

Returning her eyes to my stomach, she wrinkled her forehead in concentration. After a long silence she decided to answer me.

"Parker had a ridiculous crush on Jeanne Ellen. She wasn't interested, of course."

I smiled to myself and wondered if Steph knew yet _why_ Jeanne Ellen wasn't interested in Parker. Or any other man for that matter. Judging from Steph's reaction at the bar to the lies about us sleeping together – my guess was that she still didn't know who the_ true_ object of Jeanne Ellen's desire was…

"He came up with this stupid idea that he could make her interested if she thought he was _intimate_ with me." She said the word intimate with embarrassment – like she was talking to her grandmother. Well, maybe not _her _grandmother…

"In exchange, he agreed to help me get access to Aris' suite – so I could try to get some of the information I'm after."

"What are you after, Babe?"

She didn't answer. Instead, her hands roamed over my chest and across my abdomen, where her fingers began tugging at my cargoes. I grabbed her wrists, knowing once she released me, there'd be no holding back.

Stephanie rotated her hands, easily breaking my grasp and pinning my hands beside my head. She blew warm air over my neck and shoulders before leaning down to nip at my ear.

"First I have a question to ask _you_, Ranger." She kissed her way down my neck and over my collarbone, tortuously taking her time to move across my chest again – with her lips now, instead of her hands. I couldn't help but think that this was payback for every time I'd applied pressure to her. She nuzzled my stomach before lightly tonguing my belly button, the whole time, keeping my hands pinned to the pillow underneath me. As she stretched out over my body, she pressed her breasts to my throbbing cock, her soft globes framing me.

I didn't even try to hold back my growl – it was the only way I could release the frustration I felt. I wanted my own answers – not more questions. I wanted _her_, now. I wanted her surrounding me completely. Stephanie looked up at me curiously as I released one growl after another, my frustration driving me to the breaking point.

She rose halfway up and pushed down firmly on my wrists.

"Stay."

Out of respect for all she'd been through, I kept my hands where she left them. She traced her fingertips lightly over my torso, down to the waistband of my cargoes. She popped open the top button and bent her head to kiss the skin she'd exposed.

I sucked in a sharp breath. It took every bit of restraint that I had not to flip us and drive myself deep inside of her.

"Ranger," she breathed hot air on my skin in between her words. "Why are you here?"

I couldn't think as I watched her pull down my zipper with her teeth. My cock immediately sprung free and she smiled like she'd just been given something she'd waited on for a long time.

I couldn't answer her. Hell, I couldn't think enough to form words, let alone process her question. Using her arm, she flipped her hair over the back of her head, allowing me to see her face as she watched me expectantly. From where she was bent over me, the tops of her breasts were showing through the collar of her t-shirt, bouncing in time with her light panting. I swallowed hard again as I watched her. The image of her on top of me, waiting to pounce was more torture than anything I'd ever done to her. Her message was clear. I just had to answer her question to get my reward.

_What_ was the question?

She gave me a sadistic smile before turning her face to my length again. She pushed the fabric of my cargoes away, exposing me from base to tip. It jumped uncontrollably in anticipation and her smile grew even wider. She laid her head against my hip and blew more hot breathes over my cock.

It was almost more than I could handle. I was desperate to have her mouth on me, to have her tongue wrapped around me. To be completely immersed inside of any part of her.

With her head still laying on me, she raised her hand and lightly whispered her fingertips over me from my base to my head. She paused after one stroke and stared longingly before tracing me again. Then she brought her lips to my tip, giving me the lightest kiss there, before stroking my opening with the point of her tongue.

It was all I could take.

With a fierce growl, I gathered all the strength I had, ignored my screaming muscles, and flipped us on her tiny bed. My lips attacked hers as I ground myself against her mercilessly. My pulse raced as I felt her body respond, her hips answering mine with her own thrusts that told me she was as hungry for me as I was for her.

I tore my lips away from hers and trailed more kisses down her throat, tonguing her collarbone before moving to her neck and shoulders. Her familiar cries urged me on and I was insanely close to taking everything that I wanted from her.

Something flickered in the back of my brain though. Her question.

Why was I here?

_She deserves to hear it._

I yanked her top off and made love to her breasts with my hands and lips. Stephanie's moans drove me higher and higher until my movements were frenzied. I pulled her shorts off and spread her thighs with my knees. Her nails raked down my back and I almost roared from the mix of pleasure and pain.

Her eyes were glassy with lust and want. I teased her entrance with my cock, loving how she wound her legs around my hips, trying to draw me in. But first, her question.

I continued to nudge her persistently as I answered her, my words mixing with my onslaught of kisses over her neck and breasts and lips.

"I'm here - ," I paused to pull a mouthful of her neck between my lips, marking her. "- because you're mine." She gasped – either from the sensation or my words – or both. But I wasn't done.

"You're mine - ," I sucked as much of her breast into my mouth as I could fit, before suckling her lightly, tonguing her enlarged nipple. I closed my eyes at the torture I was applying not just to her, but to myself. My body was screaming for me to take her – less talk, more taking.

"- to hold, to protect, to love – ," I captured her mouth with mine and kissed her deeply, giving her no doubt to my passion for her.

"- and to have." I drove home then, pushing myself impossibly deep inside of her. I couldn't feel where the connection started or ended. She dug her heels in to me, locking me inside of her as we moved together.

She owned me with her mouth, devouring me as if I was one of her damned Boston Crèmes. I urged her on, demanding more from her lips and tongue with my own. Our mouths answered each other, telling each other how intensely we felt. Her hips continued to flex against mine and I scooped my hands under her butt, pulling her even tighter against me.

With one hand I kept my balance on the bed, with the other, I lifted her hips off the mattress, moving her up and down on my cock as I thrust deeply within her. It still wasn't enough.

Our kiss continued as we clawed at each other to get closer. Our movements were frantic and desperate – not just from months of build-up – but _years._ This meeting of our bodies was a conversation we had been waiting to have since the day we'd met.

I stood up from the bed, bringing Stephanie with me. She was wrapped impossibly tight around me as I continued to push in and out of her, our mouths still locked together insistently. I could feel the tension inside me building; I was close to my release. I walked us across the small room and pushed Steph's back against the door.

Without missing a beat, Stephanie reached over her head and grabbed the top of the door frame, bracing herself as I pushed even further into her. My strokes were deep and long, giving her a second's pause every time I pulled out. Our breathing was labored, but our lips remained infused together. It felt so perfect to finally claim what was mine.

Stephanie began meeting my thrusts more urgently and I knew she was close. I drove into her faster and faster but with equal force. Finally she tore her lips from mine and screamed my name as she came. The feeling of her pulsing around me as my name poured from her lips was all it took to send me over the edge. I sank to my knees with her still wrapped around me as I shot my release inside of her.

Seemingly hours later, we got our breathing under control. I collapsed onto my back, with Stephanie sprawled out on my chest. I ran my hands through her hair, replaying in my mind everything that had happened since I woke up.

She hadn't spoken yet – and the familiar sense of doubt started to creep in as I replayed my confession to her. Maybe she didn't feel the same. Maybe what I had to offer wasn't good enough. Maybe –

"I still owe you an answer."

My hand paused in her hair as I waited for her to continue.

"What I'm after – from Aris. Did you still want to know?" She asked with uncertainty.

I nodded for her to continue.

She took another deep breath and held it for a few moments, then released it along with her answer all in a big rush. "I know that Rols and Coclanis double-crossed you, that Rols forced you into an indefinite contract."

She pushed herself up and met my eyes.

"I know what you're going to say, Ranger – and I don't accept it. I'm not leaving here without getting the proof to clear your name and free you from them once and for all. The only choice you have is whether or not you'll help me."

_Continued in "Gimme Shelter" , Part III of the series (coming soon)…_


End file.
